Page 52 of The Cursed Queen

"You've done well, princess," Ryu's voice echoed telepathically.

"Thank you," I panted."Was this what it was like when you first learned to fly?"

"Partially." The air around Ryu shifted as his voice became more somber. "I learned much later than my fellow shifters had, so it was tough for me, too. At least you have someone like me to help you."

"Who helped you learn?" I asked.

Ryu paused for a moment before saying, "Nobody."

I gaped at the beautiful dragon. "What? You didn't have someone to teach you to fly?"

He shook his head. "I had no one before finding the den."

"Why?"

Ryu turned his head to the side so that one massive eye was watching me, the emotions swimming in its depth like the tides of the ocean were telling. The visible sorrow had me wanting to reach out and run my hand over his scaled face.

His eyes hooded as he huffed out a heated breath. "I'm a hybrid too, princess."

My heart tightened so much I could barely breathe. Of all the things that Ryu could've confessed to me, I didn't expect it to be that he, too, was half-dragon. A hybrid, but what was the other half? He couldn't be half-druid, could he? I couldn't sense the aura of a druid from him. One that would tie him to the earth and nature surrounding us. His aura was different; fiery, like how I'd expect from every other dragon, but a bit more?

"I see," I got out, but I wanted to know more. I had questions I wanted to ask, but I didn't want to push him.

Ryu's dragon chuffed out a laugh. "I can practically smell the curiosity wafting off you."

"Can you blame me?" I asked, no sense in denying it. "I didn't want to be rude or make you feel uncomfortable. You don't have to tell me anything if you don't wish to."

"Quite all right, but thank you. I appreciate your concern. As for what I am, I'm a mage from the Xushoeji region in the East. Or rather, half-mage. I grew up in a little town called Quolong."

Now it made sense why his aura felt the way it did. Mages were a different form of magic wielder than druids. Where druids tapped into the forces of nature to conduct our enchantments, mages could manipulate one of the four elements. Mother always considered the Tarrin Kingdom of Xushoeji the most intelligent and imposing among the regions.But I also heard that Xushoeji was also a beautiful region filled with music, festivals, cherry blossoms, and a rich history. Of all the regions in Iferia, Xushoeji was one I would've loved to have visited.

"I've heard of Xushoeji. Lovely region," I said.

Ryu dipped his dragon head. "It is, but it's also a prejudice region."

"What do you mean?"

Ryu let out a soft dragon rumble. "It's not important right now. We need to focus on you and your training. Let's get you back to the den."

I wanted to protest. I wanted to know more about why Xushoeji was prejudiced, and how it affected him, but I knew he'd tell me when the time was right. Still, I wondered what Ryu must've gone through if he lived among the dragons rather than back where he came from. Did they treat him differently for being a hybrid? I at least hoped he was treated better amongst the dragons. Holding on tight, Ryu flapped his powerful wings and dove through the clouds. He was about to bank towards the right, back to where Dragon's Peak Mountain was located, but froze in place except for his wings.

"What is it?" I asked.

Ryu's head moved around as if in search of something. "We're not alone."

Now it was I who was frozen. A part of me was hoping it was maybe Andriel or Lord Igneel coming to look for us. The sounds of a dragon's roar filled me with hope, but it fell deep into the void seconds later when I realized the sounds were too far from the den. It was coming from the opposite side as well.

"Oh no," I whispered in terror.

The dragon riders. They found us, and we were all alone.

"Hang on tight, princess!" Ryu's voice remained calm, even though I could feel the terror wafting off him. The poor man hadonly been free from his prison for a couple of days, and now he'd have to fight to stay that way.

My hold on one of his spikes held tight as he took off in a different direction, no longer safe to return to the mountains. He couldn't risk bringing the dragon riders there for fear that one might escape and warn Verania of our location. With that in mind, Ryu was leading them away, but that further emphasized how alone we were against however large this army would be. Dragon riders didn't travel alone. There would at least be four in a party. The largest group I'd seen was ten. The possessed dragons' cries grew louder, though I still couldn't see them. How was that possible?

Unless...

"I think they're invisible," I warned Ryu through his mind.

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