Chapter 9

by Amanda Cast

May I call you?

Much to Pandora’s pleasure the mage broke out into a sweat as soon as he entered the heater room. Pandora and Serene had familiarized themselves with the discomfort, but the mage could only sweat and call up a breeze that was just as hot and roiling as the air he was stuck in.

All it did was dry his sweat and make him hotter.

Pandora smirked from behind his back. He was casting about uncertainly. She looked at the fire place where the precious eggs were being kept safe. Not for an instant did his eyes rest on the fire place.

“Is something wrong, Master Hindeon?” Lindal asked. His lips twitched.

“Nothing that wasn’t expected,” the mage said sourly.

“Having a long day?” Serene asked with a cavity causing voice and twinkle in her eye.

The mage snorted and looked at her with thinly veiled disdain. If Lindal noticed he did not say anything. Pandora watched him closely as they neared the fire place.

The eggs were nestled in the coals. It took great care and some enchantments to keep the coals from flaring up. It was hot, but it was a steady heat. The eggs looked perfect.

“This is quite astounding,” the mage said, unable to keep the awe out of his voice. He made the room feel dirty and took out the joy. “I’ve never seen a dragon’s egg in person before, much less four.”

“Well, now you’ve seen them,” Serene said with an ungratified edge to her voice.

“They must be studied.”

“No!” Pandora exclaimed and then her hands flew to her mouth. Her eyes were wide open with shock from her own out burst. “They are not yours to study. They’re living, sentient beings—not test subjects.”

The mage looked at Pandora with a glacier gaze. “Dragons are dragons, little girl.”

“They’re sentient just like humans and elves. They have rights too,” Pandora told him stubbornly.

“They have their own kingdoms and everything,” Serene piped in.

Pandora did not know that, but then she did not read every book on dragons that she could get her hands on for the last two weeks.

“That’s very nice,” the mage said with a dismissive flick of his wrist. “But this is magic! They’re filled with it, and we must study how.”

“Maybe it’s just the way they are,” Serene said wedging herself dangerously between Hindeon and the eggs. Pandora slid by him to stand beside her cousin. They stood with their legs braced apart. Serene had her arms crossed against her chest, but Pandora’s fists were planted on her hips. Serene looked furious and Pandora looked dangerous—at least for a twelve year old girl.

“You’re no match against me,” he told them haughtily, “So it’d be best for you to move out of the way.”

“We’re not moving,” Serene said with a wicked glint to her eyes. “You’d better leave my home.”

“What do I have to fear from two little girls?” he sneered.

“Well, they aren’t alone,” Lindal said darkly from behind the mage. “You might be able to take on two untrained and defenseless little girls, but I’m an elf. I’m raised to fight the likes of you since I was younger than they are. If you think you can best me, be my guest, however, I would advise that you listen to my daughter and my niece and leave. They have spoken. The eggs are their responsibility.”

“But not theirs.”

“You do not own a dragon,” Serene snapped. “They own you.”

“The Faire says differently,” the mage told her.

“They could leave whenever they choose. They let the mages keep them in those cages. You mages flatter yourselves far too much,” Serene told him boldly.

The mage’s nostril’s flared. “You are a cheeky little brat,” he said, but he did not dare get closer or even move his hands with Lindal standing behind him. He had heard rumors about Lindal. He had no intention of making him more angry than necessary. “It does not matter anyway. We will see how long you manage to defy the mages.”

The mage simply vanished.

“That is rude,” Serene said bitingly. “You’re not supposed to do that in people’s homes. Any mage with manners leaves and goes down the street before teleporting himself. That’s just… unseemly.”

“This isn’t over with,” Pandora said tiredly. Her emotional outburst tired her out and she slumped a little.

“Oh dear,” Serene fretted and collapsed on a stool. “What are we going to do, Daddy? We can’t let them take the eggs. There is no telling what the mages will do to them. They’re so young and fragile.”

“You’re right, Pumpkin,” he agreed. “Listen, you two,” he said seriously, “It is very important that you don’t tell the mages anything about what these dragons can do when they hatch. Make sure that the dragons are clear on keeping their powers secret. The mages are not to know what they are capable of at all. Do you understand?” The girls nodded mutely. “Good, now, I need to get this enchantment up to snuff to stop them from ‘portin into the house.”

The girl’s nodded.

“Comfort the eggs and then leave. We don’t know if negative energy will effect them.”

The girls nodded and turned to tend to the eggs. They crooned to them in draconic and in common. Pandora imagined that she was caressing them with her words. “We will let no one harm you.”

The eggs seemed to respond with trust. They seemed to say, “We knew you’d protect us. We knew you would never let anything harm us. We knew. We’ve always known.”

Satisfied, the girls left the room with Lindal’s promise that when he was done they could come back in. Nothing went as planned after that.

One of the eggs started to rock. It was a desperate rock that knocked it out of the fire. The girls stopped and turned to stare at it. It shook and muffled sounds emanated from it. It was the topaz colored egg. Pandora was the first to approach it. She spoke to it softly and for a moment it stopped moving.

“Are you sure that you’re ready?” she asked, reaching out and stroking the egg. “If you are, I’ll help you if you want. If you’re not ready I’m going to put you back into the fire.”

Something brushed against her mind. It was more of an impression than a thought. Ready, it seemed to say.

“All right,” she said softly and stood up. Her knees burned. She was kneeling longer than she realized. It was only two steps to the fireplace tools. She picked up the shovel and then turned around. She raised the black iron tool over her head and struck it down on top of the egg. A hair line crack formed.

That was all the egg needed. It rocked again and split open. A small reptile that was roughly dragon shaped spilled onto the floor. It was the same color as the shell with the same swirls and lines. He looked at Pandora with eyes looked like solid, smooth, and perfectly round topaz.

“Welcome, Topaz,” Pandora said kneeling down again. She reached out for the little hatchling and it scampered to her and leapt into her arms. Startled, Pandora rocked back a bit, but she cradled the hatchling in her arms.

“Are you my mother?” it asked with a strange, androgynous voice.

“Yes and no,” Pandora said. “But you may call me Mother if you wish. You must meet Serene, she has also loved and tended to you all of your existence.” She rose carefully with a dancer’s discipline. She then walked over to her gaping cousin. “Topaz has decided it is time for him to hatch. Isn’t it amazing? He can speak.”

Serene reached out for him and Pandora gently handed him over as women exchange a baby from one set of ready arms to another. “He’s so perfect,” Serene said lovingly.

“He? Are you a boy, Topaz?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet,” it said. “But I am hungry.”

“Oh,” Serene sounded. “Well, let’s have the cook make you some meat paste. We can’t… regurgitate like dragon mother’s can, but we can get you something soft and safe.”

It was a good thing Serene had read all those books, Pandora decided. She would have no idea what to feed them. She just assumed that they would eat fresh meat. It never occurred to her that they would need something fine and partially processed.

Well, the other eggs decided that they couldn’t be left out either.

<First><Chapter 8><Chapter 10><Latest>

Chapter 8

by Amanda Cast

Unwelcome Guest

On a cool autumn day Uncle Lindal burst into the heater room where Serene and Pandora were arguing over whether or not they should press the eggs to be any certain gender. When the door flew open Pandora and Serene jumped and looked at him with confusion.

"Go up to your rooms and wash up," he said hurriedly. "Wear something nice and grown up." Then he was gone.

The girls were not accustomed to panic from Lindal and Pandora wasn't accustomed to panic at all. Serene jumped up and rushed to obey her father's orders. She never had any doubt that when her father did command in such a way that it was important.

Pandora moved slower, but it was a faster pace than her usual. She loped the stairs with little concern in her mind for what Lindal would be worried about. If it was all that important he wouldn't be telling them to dress nicely.

Her Uncle had told her to freshen up, so she washed her face, privates, and arm pits thoroughly. She paused to look in the mirror to see if she missed anything and then ran the cloth over her arms and legs to get rid of the sweat that was there. She then dug through her closet for her favorite tunic.

If she was honest with herself, she'd admit that it wasn't a tunic. It was fit to her form, but it strained in her chest. When she had been fitted for it she was all but flat. Now her chest was beginning to develop and it was happening quicker than she liked. The fabric was a fine green linen that was sturdy and soft all at once. Along the hems of the garment pink and blue flowers were embroidered in an entwining pattern. She pulled it on over her head and situated herself. She turned this way and that until she was satisfied and the pulled on some tight fitting leather trousers that showed off her muscular legs quite nicely.

Pandora dug out her dress boots of black leather and pulled them on. She fiddled with them until they sat perfectly right under her knee just before it would start restricting her movement. She checked the silver and black lacing just a long the outside just to make sure everything was as she had been taught and walked over to the jewelry box on the oak vanity along the wall farthest from the window.

It was filled with castoff necklaces from Serene and bracelets that would fit around Pandora's wrist in some fashion. Pandora's hands were larger than Serene's so most everything was a tight fit. Lindal had bought her a couple of rings that Pandora thought tasteful. They were simple gold or silver with designs carved into them. Pandora couldn't stand having large rocks sitting on her knuckles like Serene could. She slipped on one of the rings onto her left index finger and then picked out a necklace. She clasped it around her neck and examined herself in the mirror for a long moment.

"Oh cripes," she mumbled and then reached for her hair brush and jerked it through her hair until met no resistance. The feathery strands along the outside half drifted up and she tried to smooth them down.

All in all it only took her ten minutes. She left her room and sauntered down the stairs. Serene burst out of her room in a flurry by the time Pandora was halfway down the first flight. Pandora paused and looked up to see what her cousin was wearing, and decided that Serene never looked quite so grown up before now, at least when she was standing still anyway.

For the brief moment that Serene wasn't running in her dress and slippers Pandora noted that the simple gown of pink muslin she wore made her look taller and accentuated what little chest Serene had through the lines in the dress. Her shoulders were bare and it show cased her color bones and the simple golden chain she wore. Pandora thought she looked prettier in that than in the curtain gowns she liked to wear out in public.

"Do you think Daddy will approve?" Serene asked when she caught up to her cousin.

"I don't see why not. What about me?"

"Well, you look fantastic, but I think he wanted you to wear a dress," she said with a mixture of approval and anxiety. "You really do look good. You could start a new style."

Pandora was silent for a while. Her mind rolled and turned for a reply. "You don't think I look plain, do you?"

"Oh, no, quite stunning. You're turning into quite the woman," Serene said. Serene was thirteen years old and her first monthly flow had ended just three days before. She was obsessed about the idea of becoming a woman.

"You look very pretty and grown up too," Pandora said awkwardly.

Serene blushed and beamed with pride, "Thank you!"

"It's only the truth," Pandora said evenly, "You shouldn't dress so gaudy all the time. It takes away from your natural beauty. Pink looks good on you."

Pandora hoped that Serene wouldn't go around wearing only pink from now on. That would be horrible.

When they reached the drawing room Pandora was a little nervous about what they were going to face. She couldn't imagine why her uncle would sound so panicked. With the exception of the dragon eggs he was always so calm and sure of himself.

She was not sure what she expected if she in fact expected anything. However, had she speculated she was fairly certain she would not have imagined an old man dressed in mage robes sitting by the window sipping tea with her caretaker. Lindal and the strange mage seemed to be having a very nonchalant conversation, and Pandora wondered where all of Lindal's panic had fled off to.

"Uncle Lindal," Pandora said respectfully to get their attention.

"Ah, Pandora," he said with an amused smile. "Is Serene with you? Ah, there she is. Why don't you two come and join us for some tea. Master Mage Hindeon has decided to call on the two of you."

"I hope I am not interrupting anything," the mage said with a tight smile. Pandora found him very insincere. His perfectly shaped goatee was even suspect.

"Nothing that can't wait," Pandora said before Serene could open her mouth to prattle on about just what exactly he had interrupted. Pandora guided Serene over to sit by her father and she took the seat angled closer to the mage.

"I have heard rumors about your home," the mage said succinctly.

"Rumors?" Lindal asked, drawing out the word with subtle surprise.

"Yes, I hear that you are keeping strange eggs in a fire place," he said with an amused tone.
Obviously fake, Pandora observed attempting to keep her face neutral. She was very good at neutral. "And if we are?"

"I would like a look at them. I'm very curious as to what they might be. The rumors also say that you two lovely young ladies are obsessed with them and hardly ever leave them unattended." He bore his gaze into Serene who was looking rather panicked. She was not sure what she should say.

Pandora watched him in her most unsettling fashion and he turned to look at her. Pandora suspected that he thought her nothing more than a simpleton. If he had done his homework that is definitely what he would think. Pandora knew she was not the brightest brain in the city, but she also knew that she was the most unnerving child and could look as though she was peaking into a soul she could not quite understand. He shifted uneasily.

"We are children, Master Hindeon. We are prone to your obsessions and our games. I don't see why you are so concerned with childish things."

Lindal covered his face with his tea cup, but Pandora knew that he was trying to hide a smile. "She is quite correct. My niece can be very astute when she puts her mind to it."

"And what does she normally put her mind to?" Hindeon asked. Pandora could feel his eyes grating over her and combing her with magic to find out what exactly she was good at.

"I like sparring," Pandora said for herself. "Hand to hand is my favorite. Uncle Lindal is kind enough to entertain my childish obsession."

"Is it really childish."

"People say girls are not supposed to fight unless they are part of the Empress's personal guard. I will never be in her guard now that I am disowned. It went from a dream of a profession to a childish obsession."

"Quite poetic, young Pandora," he mused dryly. "Why would your mother disown you?"

"You don't have to answer that, Pandora," her uncle said turning her gaze to the mage darkly.

"No, it's quite all right, Uncle Lindal," she said with an innocent smile. She turned back to the mage. "My mother was not fond of the idea of me keeping in contact with my cousin. She's very much a purest."

"Oh, I see," he said, mildly amused.

Pandora turned her attention away from him and looked out of the window. The sky was over cast and oppressive, but Pandora thought that the cool air and open area would be preferable to that of the mage's company. He did not seem like a nice man to Pandora, though she could not place her finger on why. He had not been anything other than polite.

"Well, with your permission, I would like to see what is in that fire place. It would calm down the people of the Academy to know that there aren't dragon eggs being kept in the city unattended."

"I assure you that there are no unattended dragon eggs in this house," Serene said with a sniff.

"Oh, undoubtedly," he said with a wry smile.

"Perhaps after we finish our tea and biscuits we will go and let you see what is there, Master Mage. The girls are undoubtedly hungry after their studying." Lindal gave his daughter a nudge under the table.

"Oh, certainly, Daddy," she agreed. "I'm quite famished. Discussing philosophy with Pandora can be very trying on the brain."

Pandora eyed her cousin. "I was never aware of a discussion, Serene. I do know I do a lot of listening though."

"Oh, you're such a wonderful listener, Pandora, and you never tell my secrets. It is so appreciated." She reached over and touched her cousin's and then gave it a good squeeze. "I'm so glad that we're so compatible."

"As am I, Serene," Pandora said with a small smile. She then picked up a biscuit and started to butter it slowly. She was in no rush to take the mage down to the heater room.

No matter how slowly Pandora ate or drank the tea still ended. She gulped down the last of her now cold tea and set it down. The inevitable had come. Tea was over and everyone was looking at her expectantly. Serene was not lying when she said she was famished.

Pandora decided that she put too much sugar in her tea. The after taste made her thirsty. She wanted water and it made her… irritable. She didn't like being irritable.

<First><Chapter 7><Chapter 9><Latest>