Page 51 of The Beauty and the Griffin

I drew on another of my old methods for dealing with obnoxious people: sounding cheery while burning up inside. “Good luck to you too!” As I stepped into the hall, I sensed the Gamekeeper’s amusement and realized he was waiting for me.

Bolstered by his presence, I added a parting line over my shoulder, “When you get hungry, you know where we’ll be—us and your breakfast—right at the end of the hall.”

I heard an angry protest but didn’t turn around.

“She’ll come when she’s ready,” the Gamekeeper predicted. “The staff has orders to leave her undisturbed.” We shared a conspiratorial smile . . . at least, I assumed he was smiling. I still had trouble seeing him . . . or maybe I was afraid to really look.

Chicky didn’t fully wake when I slipped into my room and extricated her from the feather boa, but I sensed her deep contentment.

My mouth watered as we entered the music room; something smelled amazing! First, I lowered my egg into her hatching box. Leaving her there, I hurried over to the Gamekeeper.

But just as I opened my mouth to address him, the door flew open. Win stared around the room at the instruments and hatching boxes, her gaze skimming past the Gamekeeper—she still couldn’t see him—before it landed on me. “Dodger’s tapping at his shell again, but he wants Chi—the gold egg back. He’s unhappy because you took her too far away. Where is she?” Then she noticed the buffet. “Why didn’t you bring food to me?”

“I told you where to find breakfast, and here you are. The nestboxes are nice and warm under the lights. Chicky is happy and relaxed.”

“She is not! She can’t be. Dodger’s upset, so she’s coming back with me.” Spotting the nestboxes, she charged forward but seemed to hit an invisible wall. Frustrated, she looked at me, then around. “Who did that? Blocking my way!”

I glanced toward the Gamekeeper; his shadowy form shrugged.

“Chicky?” I approached her box to see brassy waves rippling across the gold of her shell.

Dodger want Chicky and Beeetrice, so I tell Dodger come here,she said.

I turned to Win, but she guessed what I was about to say and adamantly shook her head. “You’vegotto give them back to me! They’remyresponsibility! They don’t know what’s good for them—they’re just babies!

“Win, the best thing for Dodger is to hatch here in this bright, warm room with his sister and you and me and the Gamekeeper. And the palace staff will be providing all his food.”

Her eyes flashed, and her posture went rigid, but when I stood firm, she muttered, “Fine, Miss Evil Dictator. But you’re not to touch him!” Making an about-face, she marched down the hall.

I blew out a sigh and dropped into a chair. “That went surprisingly well.”

“Hardly the last of many skirmishes, I suspect.”

The Gamekeeper’s dry tone made me chuckle. “Sad but true.”

As soon as Win returned with the silver egg cradled in her arms, I heard Dodger’s plaintive voice.Beeetrice? Chicky?

We here, Dodger, Chicky responded, allowing me to listen in. Gamekeeper here too.

Beeetrice too?He sounded happier.

I wished I knew how to speak to him mentally. “I’m here.”

Win’s attention snapped to me. “Stop it! Stop talking to them!”

“They spoke to me first.”

“They did not!” She stamped her foot, clutching the egg close. “Stop pretending you hear things! These eggs are my responsibility, not yours! They only talk to me.”

“How about you stop stamping like a toddler and start coaching Dodger through his hatching?” I didtryto keep my voice calm and non-patronizing.

Win rolled her eyes, then dropped to her knees beside the empty nesting box and settled Dodger on the hay. The spotlights reflecting off his shell and her hair were almost blinding.

“C’mon, baby. I know you can do this!” Anticipation brightened her voice until I hardly recognized it. “Oh, good boy! You knocked out a big chip!”

I hurried over to peer into the box and whispered, “Sure enough!” Through the opening he’d made, I saw something move. Even as I watched, the crack widened, revealing a yellowish . . . nostril?

“You can do this, Dodger,” I murmured. Instantly, I sensed his pleasure.

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