Page 12 of Progeny of the Cursed Egg
A sick, twisted grin curls the corner of my lip as I relay his words to Mina through our bond. The moment she hears, her roar reverberates through the gauntlet walls, making the torch flames shudder. I sense the primal fury in her voice resonate through my chest. On the gauntlet’s glowing map, I watch her dot abruptly stop, then backtrack. My heart beats faster, a low, thunderous rhythm in my ears.
Her dot is close to that male’s, but she’s on a level above him. Wood splinters and wails under her assault —Crack … Crack… Crack…The snapping echoes across the cavernous space as dust drifts from the structure. Everything falls silent for a moment, the taste of adrenaline thick in the back of my throat.
“Oh, shit … I think she’s found him,” Callan mutters, pacing. The scrape of his boots on the rough stone floor sets my nerves on edge.
“Who found who?” Ziggy asks, sauntering up with a drink in hand, the smell of ale mingling with the smoky air.
“This one,” Abraxis grunts, jerking his thumb at me. “Told Mina that Taylor from Arista’s flight is in the gauntlet with her.”
Another loudcrackdraws all eyes to the gauntlet’s map. Taylor’s dot is moving erratically now, as if fleeing for his life.
“Oh, shit…” Ziggy mutters. “I wonder if he remembers he’s a fire drake and can burn her, or if he’ll just run scared.” The acrid scent of singed wood curls through the air, and I see flames suddenly blooming on the gauntlet’s far side.
Callan smacks Ziggy’s head. “Not helping.”
No sooner do the words leave Ziggy’s mouth than part of the gauntlet fully ignites. Thick black smoke rolls out, stinging my eyesand throat. “Bloody hell,” I snarl, leaping off the low stone wall where I had perched, ready to tear Mina out of there. Abraxis grabs my arm, his fingers digging in.
“She’ll be disqualified if you interfere—kicked out. That would piss her off worse than anything I can think of.” His voice is grim, and the sparks of ember dancing in the smoky air reflect in his eyes.
A rumble like thunder shakes the arena, and a bolt of lightning tears through the gauntlet. The sharp tang of ozone invades my nostrils. I watch, breath bated, as the fire drake tries to climb out of the jagged, two-foot hole left behind. My gut twists when I see Mina’s silver talons sink into his flesh, dragging him back in. Wood creaks and moans around them, and the drake’s pained roar slices through the haze.
“Oh, shit…” Ziggy says again, voice trembling. We see Balor moving along the outer edges, monitoring their progress, but there’s no mistaking the fear in his eyes.
A shrieking roar sounds, followed by another thunderous crack that shakes my bones. Then—Silence.An eerie quiet blankets the gauntlet. The flickering lights on the board go dark. Half the structure is aflame, while the other half is drenched in the harsh smell of ozone. My fellow bond mates all turn to me. I focus on my bond with Mina, letting her sight flood my mind. The warmth of her rage seeps into my every sense. Then I catch a glimpse of the aftermath: two bodies, torn and smoking.
“He wasn’t the only fire drake in there,” I rasp, pulling out of her vision with a violent jolt. The gritty taste of ash coats my tongue. “There was a female lying in wait, too. She says her name was Ardent…” Blinking, I find Abraxis pale as a corpse. His nostrils flared from the shock.
“Our mate unshifted … killed two fire drakes alone?” His voice quakes, as if seeking to deny the truth.
I give him a curt nod. “I told you she was worthy of being my queen. My stubborn ass would only hatch for an equal—a female who can hold her own and isn’t afraid to do what’s necessary. Thauglor feels the same way.” I stare down at Abraxis, the metallic scent of his sweat cutting through the smoky air, then glance back at the gauntlet’s flames licking the sky. “Our mate is proving herself to be a powerful dragoness.”
The structure shudders, and out from the smoke, Mina emerges at the top of the gauntlet. The heat shimmers around her, and in her fists are the severed heads of the two fire drakes. She hurls them down in front of the remaining onlookers and rips off her hood and mask, tossing them aside. The stench of blood wafts up, making my stomach clench. With a furious roar, she dives off the gauntlet, shifting into her dragon form mid-leap, emerald, and silver scales glinting in the roaring flames. Instinct surges through me, demanding I join her in flight, but I can’t risk revealing that I’ve hatched.
“Zigmander,” I growl softly, turning to Ziggy at my side, “take me to Mina’s nest in the mountains. I’ll track her from there.”
With a nod, Ziggy closes the distance and grips my shoulder. I look at Abraxis and Balor, feeling the heat from the blazing gauntlet at my back. “Get her trophies home. She’ll be even more pissed if they aren’t prepared for her.”
Ziggy blinks us out of sight, and the world tilts. We land in the apartment, the abrupt silence disorienting after the phasing. The familiar smell of old furniture and the faint hint of soap linger here.
“We should gather food and clothes for her, plus some blankets,” Ziggy suggests, darting into what used to be her room. My heart still hammers, adrenaline stoking my every nerve, reminding me how violent the night has become.
It hits me then how amped up she’ll be after this gauntlet. Last time, she tore up Ziggy and bit the hell out of him. This time, she killed two drakes. My stomach clenches at the thought of her bloodlust—and my own. I collect an assortment of meats, bread, and water, stuffing it all in a basket I find in the pantry. By the time I’m done, Ziggy returns with a sack of clothes and blankets.
He eyes my basket, nods once in approval, and grabs my arm again. We blink away, reappearing deep in Mina’s nest site. The sudden drop in temperature is bracing. I smell damp stone and the crisp air of high altitudes. Deeper in, near the egg chamber, we arrange everything on the smooth rock floor.
“Good luck…” Ziggy says, his voice echoing off the cavern walls before he vanishes.
I walk back to the surface, my steps echoing on the stone, and shift into my dragon form. The scrape of my scales against the cool rock sends a tremor through me. Lifting my head to the moonlit sky, I let my call rumble from deep in my chest, summoning my mate. The night air vibrates with my roar, and distant peaks send it back in haunting echoes. Eventually, her call resonates in reply, pure and fierce, and my heart skips a beat. It’s been more than a thousand years since I last felt the pleasure of a female’s presence—my wings tremble at the prospect.
I only hope I don’t embarrass myself.
CHAPTER 7
Mina
I spendmost of my flight cursing every single fire drake I can name, even tossing in their ancestors for good measure. The chill of the high-altitude wind cuts across my scales, making each exhalation hiss through clenched teeth. My wings ache with the strain of the distance, but I keep going.Why can’t they leave me alone?Abraxis isn’t Arista’s, and that’s been proven by her puking when she touched him. The memory still makes my stomach twist uncomfortably.What more proof do those dragon rejects require?I can’t even imagine what would happen if they came for Klauth.
The sun slowly sets in the west, painting the sky in a dozen brilliant colors—streaks of fiery gold, deepening orange, and a final fringe of purple along the horizon. The light glints off my scales, creating dancing reflections against the clouds. Every beat of my wings carries me miles away from the academy and that bullshit gauntlet. The wind rushes past my ears, a deafening roar that momentarily drowns out my turbulent thoughts.Why do I keep running those gauntlets, anyway?Dad is one of the villains in my story.Why should I keep doing things that would make him proud?
