The Crown's Fire - Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Riding A Dragon
“This isn’t good,” Tarah murmured to herself as she watched the dragon fly away in the sky. “What am I supposed to do now?”

As a dragonrider she should’ve had the ability to ride a dragon, but unfortunately for her, she was deeply afraid of heights. Left with no choice, she was about to call for the dragon using the draconic language again, but Ezekiel’s voice stopped her from doing so.

[Don’t do anything. I’ll handle Vulcan. I’m confident I can handle him,] Ezekiel informed her. [I don’t exactly know what’s going on, but it’s trying to spit fire even if nothing is coming out.]

Tarah’s eyes widened. ‘Could it be that his spirit can no longer recognize its soul?’ she thought.

Vulcan soul and spirit had been with Ezekiel since he was inside his mother’s womb. And from what she could gather, Vulcan’s spirit was too close to fully merging with Ezekiel’s before Vulcan kicked it out.

Tarah’s eyes lit up as she quickly analyzed the situation. [I’m not sure if this makes sense, but try commanding the dragon’s spirit with your soul and see if it will follow you,] she suggested. [Vulcan’s spirit probably already formed a connection with your soul or something.]

[I will do exactly that then. Still, I don’t like to risk innocent lives, Tarah,] Ezekiel firmly stated. [You should mount this damn dragon and ensure that no innocent lives will be harmed while I try to gain control.]

Tarah bit down on her trembling lip as she called for the dragon using the draconic language. “Come back,” she commanded. “I will ride you.”

[No!]

Vulcan grunted against her will, but after a few seconds had passed, it eventually descended on the ground before her with its body bent down.

Seeing the dragon before her, Tarah couldn’t help but smile as she gently caressed its head. It slightly growled, but she simply chuckled as she did her best to calm her trembling body. She then uttered a spell and watched as an appropriate golden saddle made from the dragon’s own scales formed on Vulcan’s back.

[I can feel your fear, Dragonrider. Are you sure you’re going to mount me?] Vulcan taunted with a malicious laugh. [This mounting will be quite different from the kind of mounting you did to your Prince in his wildest imaginations.]

[Shut your mouth!] Ezekiel’s voice shouted out.

While this was happening, Tarah’s trembling form was replaced with a deep blush on her face. She saw the so-called imagery Vulcan had mentioned where Ezekiel got lost in its trick to weaken his divine spirit by using his desire for her. She was riding Ezekiel in his imagination as they were making love, and it was exactly what it looked like the more she watched.

After a while, Tarah quickly shook her head to clear her own thoughts. She then quietly mounted the dragon and tightly held onto it as she confessed, “I’m afraid of heights, so just fly slowly.”

[Good, because I will make this more fearful for you!] Vulcan roared as it abruptly flew into the sky, making Tarah scream so loudly that she quickly closed her eyes. It wasn’t like she could tell it to Ezekiel without Vulcan knowing anyway. As such, she could only hope that Ezekiel would fight Vulcan for control and keep it for as long as she was on the dragon’s back.

Doing her best, she practically held onto its back as if her life depended on it. She didn’t open her eyes as well, afraid that she would faint if she saw the ground below.

Thankfully, after a few moments, the dragon’s movements became calm enough that Tarah didn’t even feel they were flying anymore.

[You can relax now, Tarah. Sorry, it took me so long to take over,] Ezekiel apologized. [Open your eyes. And don’t worry about falling. I’ll make sure that never happens…]

Nodding, Tarah slowly opened her eyes, and her body became tense upon seeing how high they were up in the sky and how small everything was beneath them.

[Is there some reason why you are scared of heights?] Ezekiel asked her.

“Oh, that… When I was six, I played hide and seek with the others at the temple. I thought it would be nice to find a hiding place outside, but I accidentally slipped and fell off the mountain cliff,” she explained. “I got lucky that a part of my clothes got stuck to a dead branch of a tree on that slope, thankfully. Unfortunately, I stayed in that position for the rest of the day while crying in fear that I would fall off at any time.”

Tarah let out a heavy sigh as she recalled the incident. “Since then, I become very nervous whenever I face heights.”

[I see. Still, you need to conquer that fear now, Tarah. You just need to relax and practice flying with me like this,] Ezekiel encouraged. [I’ll make sure that you won’t fall no matter what.]

Tarah smiled at the reassurance. “I’ll try my best then, Your Highness,” she softly stated. “However, you do know that sometimes, that’s easier said than done.”

Despite her words, she truly appreciated the prince’s gesture and interest in knowing why she feared heights. And once again, she felt like there was an uncontrollable fluttering in her chest for some reason.

Ezekiel chuckled, and his crisp laughter inside her head was like music to her ears. She couldn’t help but imagine how great he would look in his human form now whenever he laughed like that. He was always serious, so it was fascinating to hear him laugh like this over such a small thing.

[Close your eyes and try feeling the cold breeze against your skin,] Ezekiel gently instructed. [Then, once your body is relaxed, try opening your eyes and focusing on the overwhelming feeling of being able to fly in the sky and see how magnificent everything below us is.]

Tarah followed what he said. Slowly opening her eyes, her face instantly glowed at the wonderful sight before her. Who would have thought that she would be able to be up in the sky like this? She was riding a dragon, the mightiest and most powerful creature the heavens had created, and she was safe.

‘Leviticus will truly enjoy this!’ she thought as her brother’s giggling appearance popped up in her head.

[Looks like you’re no longer scared, Dragonrider!] Vulcan suddenly chimed in. [How about we gear up for a rough ride, huh? I smell a bloodbath not far from here, so let’s head over there and burn everyone!]