Page 16 of The Cursed Queen

"What's going on? Why's he acting like that?" one of the druid knights asked, backing away from the hot-tempered dragon.

Another knight farther off responded, "I don't know, but this one is acting up too."

"Enhance the restraints! Force it down!"

One of Drayce's knights lifted his hand as green magic glowed around his hand. Slowly, his fingers clenched into claws. The runes that made up the restraints locking our bodies flashed to life along Drayce's body. As the druid knight clenched his fingers, Drayce cried out as bolts of electricity began cracklingalong the runes. The more the knight's fingers clenched, the more the magic on Drayce pained him.

Despite the magic, Drayce pushed himself to stay on his claws and force himself through the cage. He had to get to his love. I could feel it through our den connection. It was faint, but it was there. A single word kept replaying in my head.

Ryu, Ryu, Ryu, Ryu!

He had to get to his Ryu. That was all he could think about.

The knight working on tightening Drayce's magic cursed under his breath. "Damn, this guy's strong."

"Just drug it already!" another knight said.

At the command, Drayce's second knight holding the needle rushed inside his cage and jabbed the pointed tip into Drayce's neck. The dragonsbane immediately took effect, causing my brother to lose any fight he had in him. I whimpered at his distress, wishing I could help. Ryu too, since I knew he was in here too. I didn't have time to think about it as I felt a needle piercing me as well. Like Drayce, all my energy and magic slowly buried itself deep within my core, where it would remain locked for at least twenty-four hours.

Now too weak to resist, the knight tugged on my chain, urging me out of my cage. I followed obediently, unsure of what was about to happen. The other knights pulled Ryu and Drayce out as well, the three of us being led out of the stable and into the harsh light of the sun. Standing huddled together was a battalion of druid knights. Some I recognized as the ones who captured me.

But I also recognized Virgil, standing in the front with two other knights. He looked up at me apologetically, likely wishing he could be elsewhere. I wish I could communicate with him. To let him know everything would be okay. We all had to play along for now.

The tallest of the druid knights, who looked to have been the captain, cleared his throat to grab everyone's attention. "Alright trainees, listen up! As you all should be aware by now, the Dragon Crowning Ceremony will be moved up to celebrate the princess' twenty-first birthday. Therefore, this will be your last lesson. You've all had the chance to ride with us on our dragons, but now it's time for you to experience your first solo flight. The three of you in the front are the ones being promoted this year. You've worked hard for this. The rest of you will haveanother chance to be promoted to dragon rider when more dragons are apprehended. Don't lose hope."

So that was what this was about. While the other two knights seemed excited about this last event, Virgil did his best to mask his discomfort. I knew riding us included using magic to manipulate us, forcing control over our bodies to the rider. Now that he knew the truth, Virgil was seeing this in a new light. One that wasn't so pleasant for us.

The leader continued. "When I call your name, you will step forward and claim a dragon to ride. You will cast the compulsion enchantment on the dragon, then climb onto its back. Once you're situated, you will compel the dragon to take flight with the help of your magic. Any questions?"

Virgil raised his hand. "Will this harm the dragons?"

The leader seemed puzzled by the question while the other druids laughed.

The leader cleared his throat. "They're dragons, Virgil. They feel nothing, which includes harm."

Virgil looked as if he wanted to protest. I willed him not to say anything that would reveal what he knew. If he said the wrong thing, it could ruin any chance we had for freedom. Thankfully, Virgil seemed to have come to the same conclusion and kept his mouth shut.

"Now, Virgil, why don't you start us off? Step forward and select your dragon," The leader commanded.

He gulped, but took a step forward. He didn't want to do this, but knew refusing would look suspicious. Either that, or they'd kick him out and possibly let another knight take his place. Virgil looked at the other two dragons before letting his eyes land on me. I gave him an encouraging nod, a silent encouragement that everything would be okay.

The young druid knight steeled himself before stepping closer to me. "I choose this one."

The leader brightened. "Excellent. Now, cast the compulsion enchantment and have it submit to your power."

A twitch from the corner of his eye signaled Virgil's reluctance. His fingers twitched as a thin veil of his magic surfaced, but he did nothing more than that.

Just do it. I'll be fine.

Forcing the words to escape through gritted teeth, Virgil pushed to recite the enchantment. Tendrils of his magic slithered towards me, surrounding my head before injecting itself into my mind through my eyes. A numbing sensation began spreading through my body, causing my limbs to slowly lose feeling.

Bringing a hand forward, he twirled his wrist, forcing his magic inside me to react. My wings spread unwillingly, fueled by Virgil's control.

So this was the power of a druid's magic of manipulating dragons. If we were at full strength, we may have been able to break their hold over us. But thanks to the dragonsbane, all we could do was witness our bodies becoming lifeless dolls for druids to play with.

"Nicely done, Virgil!" The leader stepped toward him and patted Virgil on the back. "Now, are you ready to fly?"

"Yes," Virgil said in a strained voice.

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