When It Reigns (Cursed Reigns, #1)

CHAPTER FOUR

AERYN'S POV

Once fertilized with rich soil, sprawling yards of green grass, expansive fields growing wide varieties of crops, and bustling with hardworking farmers, Mavis was now unrecognizable as it had become a desolate and deserted ghost town riddled with death and rot. The sporadic patches of grass were dry and yellow, the crops were brown and shriveled, and the people had either been killed or vacated due to the recent demon attacks. 

I couldn't comprehend what three demons and a demon shifter could have wanted here – and now my chance to ask had abandoned Mavis.

"My father has been discussing the uptick in demon attacks with his Consul," I said, deliberately leaving out the part about my attendance at the meeting, "and it's a bit unnerving to see him concerned. Random demon sightings are one thing, but a rogue shifter in Mavis is unsettling. I would have thought he would be fighting in the war with his kingdom's military - not exploring this area alone."

"It makes sense if you think about it. We have scouts who venture into the demons' territory and most of those Ravos demons were once Draconians like us who fell to evil and were exiled for their excessive greed for power. That shifter could have been a Ravos scout looking for herbs or any surviving crops in our region," Racquel surmised.

"I guess you're right," I agreed. "I'm just hoping that shifter goes back to Ravos and doesn't come back."

It was unlikely the demon had left for good, and he was probably telling his kingdom about our encounter. I still wasn't sure what he had done to me, but I knew enough that I didn't want him informing the Ravos about what he'd found while poking around in my head.

Racquel was silent for several seconds and scrunched his brows in thought. Shaking his head, he forced a smile and said, "Let's just focus on getting assigned our Duty and working towards graduation. Come on, we should head back to the academy now."

Removing the iridescent dragon scale from my pocket, I rubbed the smooth surface with my thumb until it heated in my palm. Neon blue flames erupted on the ground in front of me, hitting me with a blast of heat as a dragon burst from the frost fire. Standing at just ten feet tall, the frost fire dragon was one of the smaller breeds, but she made up for her size with her fierceness and unique frost fire breathing ability.

Serene opened her white wings, and the moon reflected off her iridescent scales as she brought her head down to my level. Shutting her golden eyes, she nudged my hand and sat on her haunches as her tail swirled with excitement, kicking up gusts of dust as the puff of fur on the tip of her tail moved around in the dirt. With a grin, I scratched the furry spot between her horns and massaged under her chin, causing her to scrunch her snout in pleasure and release hot steam from her nostrils.

"Okay, okay. We're going to head back to Insignia Academy now, Serene," I said as she lowered her head to the ground. I kicked a leg over her neck and grabbed onto her horns as I hefted myself up and took a seat. 

Shooting a look over my shoulder at Racquel as Serene lifted her head, I found him adjusting himself on his larger, yellow-scaled dragon as a cloud of gas dissipated around the dragon's ankles. Racquel's Insignia marked the center of his dragon's forehead, and I felt a pang of jealousy as I focused on the circle surrounding the symbol of his power – a pair of hands bound together by a bandage.

"Ready?" I shouted at my fellow dragon summoner.

Racquel patted the side of his dragon's head with a nod, and they took off. Serene bounded after them, needing to gain speed on the ground before following them in the air. She took a leap and expanded her wings, pumping them hard a few times as she lifted off.