Sorceress of Illaria

Chapter 2

Etta

The pain in my leg was forgotten as I watched the egg in front of me shake, the cracks spreading. Celeste and I were frozen in place, afraid to move.

The egg jumped, then tipped over, landing on its side. A chunk of the shell fell to the bed. I glanced over at Celeste. Her eyes were wide and she smiled at me. We both leaned in, closer to the egg.

A beak-like snout poked its way out of the egg, followed by a slimy green body with wings, wrapped in a spiky tail. The creature had its eyes squeezed shut. Little clawed legs held each side of its head. Slowly, it began to uncurl, stretching out its legs and wings. The tail extended twice the length of the body. It tried to stand, then fell to its side. Eyelids flickered a few times, then opened. Large yellow eyes with cat-like pupils fixed their gaze on us.

The baby dragon looked from Celeste to me, then back again. It stretched out its arms and legs again, then curled its tail around its body, tucking its head into its chest. It blinked at us a few more times, then nuzzled its head lower, closing its eyes. Wings covered its face, blocking out the light. Soft snoring noises came from the tiny creature.

My heart was full. I wanted to pick the dragon up and hold it close to me. How could this perfect little being be anything like the monster that attacked us under Max's direction?

"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Celeste whispered.

"It really is."

"You need to lie back down, and get some more rest," she said.

The dragon was asleep next to me. I shifted back down and turned on my side so I could stare at the little green creature while it slept.

Celeste climbed onto the bed, careful to avoid the sleeping dragon between us. She turned toward me, eyes on the dragon.We both watched the rise and fall of the dragon's back for a while in silence.

Nothing about this battle had turned out the way we planned. In a way, having a dragon hatch shouldn't be a surprise. I was starting to feel like I couldn't control anything.

"Celeste?" I whispered.

She looked up at me.

"Do you think Ashton and Saffron are safe?" The dragon's hatching had given me a few minutes of respite from worrying about my friends but couldn't keep it away long.

She sighed. "I don't know, Etta."

I squeezed my eyes shut, hot tears burning behind them. I felt so helpless. My leg wasn't going to let me go anywhere anytime soon. "What are we going to do?" I opened my eyes and looked at my friend.

Her forehead creased in concern. "I don't know."

Voices sounded from outside my door and I pushed myself as close to sitting as I could. Celeste jumped from the bed. The dragon pulled its head from under its wing and quicker than I thought possible, moved to the edge of the bed, then glided down. It crawled under the bed where it stayed hidden out of sight. My heart raced. Who was it?

The door burst open and relief flooded through me. Charles, Madame Lyndsey, and two more members of my guard entered my room. They paused after crossing the threshold and bowed.

"It's so good to see you," I said. "Please, come in."

Charles wore a dangerous expression on his face. His eyes were darker than usual and his lips were pressed together. He was the first to my bedside. Dropping to his knees, he rested his forehead against the edge of the bed. "I'm so sorry, your highness." He lifted his head. "We let you down."