The Fiery Crown Cycle: A Dragon's Rebirth

Chapter 97

Azure's blue eyes watched the red dragon's silhouette against the fire. He was still absorbed in his work, and a rich, savory aroma now permeated the entire lair. Her nostrils flared. The scent was undeniably superior to his previous creation. The image of the small red berries and the pungent green shoots flashed in her mind. So, it was those ingredients that made the difference.

She turned her gaze to the gnoll still bound to the spit. He was motionless, cowed into submission. She walked to the rack and, with a single, contemptuous flick of a foreclaw, sliced through the thick vines as if they were paper.

Freed from his bonds, Garruk's body tumbled from the spit and crashed to the stone floor. The impact was jarring and painful, but a look of pure, unadulterated ecstasy lit up his green eyes. He knew, with absolute certainty, that he was going to live.

He scrambled up, only to immediately prostrate himself on all fours before her.

“Thank you, Great Blue Dragon! Your servant, Garruk, pledges his undying loyalty to you!”

Her head lowered, her slitted blue eyes gazing down at the groveling creature. Loyalty? A flicker of contempt crossed her face. Loyalty is a fool's currency.

Threads of shimmering blue mana coalesced in the air before her, weaving themselves into a tapestry of impossibly complex runes. They shifted and sorted themselves into ordered lines of arcane script.

Dragon-Vein Transformation was an ability that would only awaken in her adolescence. For now, as a mere wyrmling, Azure would have to make do with a simple Servitude Contract.

...

Seated by the fire and catching the last of the drippings in his stone trough, Aiden lifted his head. He watched as the glowing blue runes arranged themselves before his sister. A contract? he mused. She truly is a prodigy. At this rate, she'll be inscribing her own spells soon.

Good for her,

he thought with a hint of draconic laziness. Unlike me. The sight of those twisted symbols always makes me want to nap.He turned his attention back to the roast. Hm, that piece needs turning. A red claw reached out.

…

Before Azure, the two lines of shimmering runes were complete.

“Servant,” her sweet, melodic voice commanded. “Use your blood. Write your name upon it.”

Garruk lifted his head and looked at the two lines of floating blue script. He didn't recognize a single symbol. He raised his right hand to his mouth and bit down, his sharp teeth easily piercing the flesh of his finger. He reached toward the runes; they felt solid beneath his touch, like a sheet of smooth, enchanted wood.

Slowly, his bloody finger traced the letters in the Common Tongue.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

G-A-R-R-U-K

Like most beastmen, Garruk could not read, but the priests of his clan had taught every pup how to write their own name—a tradition to ensure one's identity was never lost. As he finished, he pulled his hand away.

A brilliant azure light flared from the runes. The blood he had left behind began to sink into the script, as if being absorbed. Slowly, a crimson tinge bled into the blue glow. Once all the blood was gone, the runes dissolved into two motes of blue-red light. One shot into Azure's forehead, the other into Garruk's chest.

She could feel it now: a psychic leash, a direct line to the gnoll's life force. She could snuff it out with a thought. Still, she mused, a test is in order.

“Urgh!”

A choked grunt escaped Garruk's lips as he collapsed to the ground. He clutched at his chest, his hands tightening over his heart. The veins on his neck and arms bulged as an invisible force crushed his very heart within his ribcage. In moments, his entire body was drenched in a cold sweat.

Azure watched him writhe on the floor. The reaction was genuine. Satisfied, she released the pressure.

“Remain quiet,” she commanded.

“Yes… Master,” the gnoll gasped, his voice weak and ragged.

In that moment, Garruk understood what he had signed. It was not a pledge of fealty. It was a contract of enslavement. He lay on the cold stone, the life draining from his green eyes, leaving them dull and vacant.

Ignoring her new thrall, Azure turned and walked toward the enticing scent of the barbecue. The aroma was a potent summons, stoking the fires of her own appetite. Aiden had said there was a share for her and Bianca.

…

“One, two, three… nine, aow!”

Having finished another recount of her gold, Bianca's nose twitched uncontrollably. What a delicious smell! Aiden is cooking, aow! It smells so good!

A string of translucent saliva dripped from her maw, stretching in a thin, shimmering line.

She pushed herself up, took two steps, and then froze. She looked back at her pile of ‘little darlings.' With a sigh, she bent down and began scooping them into her cloth sack. After several large scoops, only a few scattered coins remained. Lying on her belly, she meticulously picked up each and every coin, dropping them into the sack.

Clink.

The last silver piece landed in the bag with a satisfying sound. Bianca immediately shot to her feet and charged toward Aiden.

Meat! It's time to eat meat, aow!

…

Thump, thump.

Thump, thump.

Footsteps approached from both his left and his right.

Aiden glanced to his left. Azure was lying on the ground, her head resting on her claws, patiently facing him. He glanced to his right. Bianca was sitting on her haunches, her hind legs splayed out in an undignified V, her tail thrashing rapidly as her shining white eyes remained glued to the roasting meat.

He turned his gaze back to a smaller, three-yard-wide stone griddle he had prepared. They certainly have good timing. The roast is almost done.

He looked over at the large cauldron. White steam was now rising gently from the water's surface. Not boiling yet, but it will be soon. I can start the eggs.

He turned to the stone griddle, opened his maw, and breathed a controlled jet of fire onto the kindling beneath it.

“Azure, fetch three eggs.”

Hearing the command, Azure pushed herself up. The eggs were near the entrance to the lair. She walked over and picked up two, then glanced at the gnoll lying on the floor. His breathing was shallow, the rise and fall of his chest barely perceptible.

Is he hungry? she wondered. This gnoll is a decent asset. A pity if it died so pointlessly.

Her gaze flickered to the pile of discarded viscera. With a twitch of her tail, she sent a bloody chunk of liver, nearly the size of Garruk himself, sliding across the floor. It stopped right beside him.

Hearing the wet slap, Garruk laboriously lifted his head. His eyes met Azure's for less than a second before he quickly looked down.

“Eat,” her cold voice commanded. “This is what you eat now.”

“Thank you, Master,” he whispered. A wave of ecstatic joy bloomed in his green eyes.