Page 64 of Enchanted Crown
I grinned as the three of us flew alongside and around the ship. From the shores of Wylan we likely looked the size of ravens, flying with the boat. We were such a misfit group. The dragon queen. Her lover. Her general. And yet I had never had as much confidence in the three of us as I did in that moment.
It was time. Time to head back to Dra Skor. Back to whatever waited for us.
CHAPTER 23
Malachi was in the sky coaching me. I had John and two crew members throwing some breezes and random objects at me. I wanted to try to use both of my Enchantments together. One of the Enchanted crew members, prick that he was, enjoyed throwing a bread loaf at me as I practiced flying alongside the ship. Between my wings, the breeze the ship was sailing in, the things being thrown at me, and my first Enchantment also flaring and begging to be used, it was a lot to take in.
But I had asked for this, masochist that I was.
I dodged a strike of what looked like lightning from John with my wings, veering sharply around it. Then I had to beat my wings and climb high to avoid the spray of cold sea water John was sending up into the air. I realized two beats later it was too late for the loaf of bread flying at me. It smacked with a thud against my wings.
I grunted, lost my control over my wings briefly and fell, landing in the water only momentarily before I was back up and flying again. And dammit if that water wasn’t cold. So I used my magic to warm and dry me while simultaneously getting ready forthe next attack. I could have normally caught myself with my first Enchantment, but the sharp pain of my wings being hurt had been the predominant thought. It was hard to remember what to do in that moment. Using both at the same time was going to take some practice.
The laugh of the man on the boat only made me angrier. I smiled. He wasn’t the only one who knew how to throw a loaf of bread around. I may not be great at flying yet, but I sure as hell had mastered my first Enchantment.
So the next time he threw it at me, I caught it with my own palm magic and swooped down at the deck. I tackled him at the feet, then flew into the air, dangling him upside down with me.
“The point,” I gritted out, “is to help me train. Target my wings again, an unnecessary cruelty, and you will find yourself in the water. Understood?”
“Yes, Your Highness,” the man stated, arms flailing.
I rotated him so he didn’t fall headfirst and dropped him, not caring if he hurt himself on the way. I also dropped the bread and let it smack him. Fortunately for him, it hit him in the stomach, slightly above where I had been aiming.
“Ready for a break?” John asked. The rest of the deck had gone quiet watching the exchange.
“No,” I snapped. “If he can hit me with a loaf of bread, imagine how something much sharper would hurt.” My wings ached just considering it. I wanted to go back and kill the men who hurt Esta and Serkan all over again.
Ten minutes later, I was sweating generously, but getting much better at using both Enchantments together. I couldn’t beat my wings and send my magic out with the same thought yet, but I was getting there.
“What isthis?”
I knew she was there before I saw her.
I wrapped the bread in my blue power and launched it back atthe crew man, him having to duck to avoid smelling bread for the foreseeable future. “Little busy, sweetheart.”
“Your anger woke me.”
“Yes, well, I took a little tumble,” I explained as I shot around the breeze John sent up, my wings beating strongly. “Hurt my pride.”
“He’s a bit sensitive about the wings,” the bread man added.
“Of course he is,” she snapped. “Do you have any idea how much muscle is involved in protecting and using them correctly?” A pause. “Of course not.” Then she spun to me, “Andyou? You’re just going to let him disrespect you like that?”
“Better him than Zaire?” I called out.
Malachi moved in to land on the deck so I followed suit.
“And no, Your Highness,” the loafer answered. “He did not just allow it, he rightly dropped me on my derriere.”
“Enjoyed it too,” I laughed as I landed on the edge of the ship.
“Have you lost your mind?” Esta asked me, her human nostrils flaring oddly similar to how her dragon ones did.
“Me?” I asked. “He’s the one throwing around perfectly good bread for kicks and giggles. An utter waste.”
Esta took a heaving breath and brought her hand up to pinch her nose. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Like an utter fool, I decided to state the obvious. “I’m training.”
