Book One: Onnu and Pannu

Dome-stic Duties

They would need dragonfire to fuse the glass, and dragon height to hold the top panels against the stone. While it was less prone to shattering, Tupin glass was quite heavy. It would take two winged kin to hold one panel, but they would be in the line of fire.
   "Why does the whole thing have to be glass, though?" Dragonfriend asked. "Why not make it of clay, with windows?"
   "We've tried, but it doesn't stick to the rock well enough."
   "Have you tried growing plants in the clay?" Onnu asked. "It would become a turf roof, yes, but plants find ways--at least on Erdewaz--to anchor in rock. Otherwise, you could build clay houses where there are no sleeping niches to block. If they do not need to hold to the walls, you can build full domes."
   Clay thought for a while. "Yeah, Harvey said the only thing that keeps Charon from suckin' up the ovens is bein' close to the walls, and the bricks in the bottom. If we give houses brick floors--"
   "Smithys!  It would be perfect for a smithy! I'd melt a glass dome, but clay and brick?" Soot Forgeman had fallen into blacksmithing, once they no longer needed him to carry dragonfire. He was nowhere as good as Mountain Clan, but when they needed simple things made, it was far more convenient to have a smith on hand. He might never be good enough to trade to Steel's craftskin, but they didn't need him to be. Simple and strong, just like him, he'd say.
   The orc danced a little with excitement. "We've already got a spot cleared for smithing, no need to cut grass or anything! I'd even started layin' a brick mat, of sorts, to go under the forge. Few more hands to lay the rest, and we could lay up a dome in less than a day!"
   "You could even brick the bottom half, like Steel did with clay in the greenhouses," Pannu suggested.
   They had thought to try some houses first, of the glass panels Clay had already made with Grey Hold's recipe, but since Soot's was already begun, they split up. Pannu helped the craftskin make Soot's smithy, while Onnu helped anchor some glass domes. Her dragonfire was more reliable, as Pannu oft forgot to refill his gas bladder.
   Even so, they both had to refill halfway through the day. Onnu got one and a half houses done, while Pannu and his crew got half of the smithy done. They'd opted for an oval shape with a smoke hole.
   Onnu would have finished the second house, but they asked if she would try smoothing their sleeping niche with her fire. They were a bit rough, as Capitol Hold was new, and high heat could melt rocks on Erdewaz. Onnu had attempted cutting rock with her fire in First Hold, but had only succeeded in sort of buffing it to a shine. Tandy requested her niche be treated the same way, before the glass went up.
   This, of course, got the rest of the residents in a tizzy. Everyone wanted smooth niches. Clay calmly went about with a pot of fire and showed them how to control burn the rocky berths, without losing the grass of the entire Bowl.
   The dragons ruled that no one could attempt it unsupervised, to which everykin pointed out "We can't make our own fire. Either a craftskin who uses it, or a dragon, would have to do it anyway."
   "All the same," Onnu said, "Do not try this at home."
   She was a little sad that only Pannu got the reference, but she supposed they wouldn't need to remember that saying. She kept forgetting that they only retained what would be useful on the Fortnight Worlds. It was hard to remember, when some craftskin pulled an obscure method out of seeming thin air, that she knew she hadn't taught them. They remembered some things, so she oft forgot that they didn't recall everything.
   The dragons had to pause at the same time. Pannu had less stored fire, but the bricks had already been made, so all he had to do was help cure the clay or mortar. Heat guns, lighters, and flamethrowers were things of Erdewaz. Tupins had dragons.
   They looked up at about the same time. Their eyes met. She looked up, and back down. He nodded. They waggled their hips in takeoff prep that everykin knew, and the hatchlings whimpered.
   Onnu looked down, scooped them up, and said "You're going to see Above today, I think."
   Sage wiggled so hard she almost dropped him. "If you can behave!" she amended.
   "Yes, mom," he meeped.
   Pannu was disappointed. He'd hoped for some grown-up time. "They've only flown with us a couple of times. Maybe we should wait until they're fledged?" He winked for good measure.
   "Oh, I suppose you're right. Much harder to catch a wigglewyrm Above," she said, nuzzling them in apology. "Stan? Do you think you can supervise the kiddos for a little bit? We've got to refill our gas bladders. And while we're gone, can someone think up a better name for them?" she laughed, gently dropping her children with the stern gargoyle.
   "On it," Slate giggled.
   Stan slapped her talon with affection. "G'won, git. You two are gonna be apart for a fortnight. May's well get some alone time while ye can."
   "Is it that obvious?" Pannu asked, earflaps low.
   "We were all human once," Dragonfriend chuckled. "Doesn't take a genius to figure out. Go on, have some fun. But be back before Charon's Pass," he mock scolded, shaking a meaty finger.
   The dragons laughed. "We have to," she said. "Can't leave things half finished."
   "Indeed you do, so g'won!" Stan slapped the talon a bit harder, knowing he couldn't hurt her if he tried.
   The Elder dragon and her mate laughed once more, and moved to the cleared center of the Bowl to launch Above.