Page 73 of Queen of the Cursed Egg
It’s beenthree days since Mina went to ground, and she stopped eating this morning. The untouched deer carcasses lying forgotten near her massive form, their blood pooling on the stone floor and filling the air with the metallic scent of fresh death. Klauth is beside himself, his pacing wearing grooves in the chamber floor, the sound of his boots echoing endlessly off the stone walls.
Thauglor is baring his teeth at everyone and everything that comes close to Mina, his warning growls reverberating through the cavern like distant thunder. I thought he was bad the last time, but this time he’s a real menace. His sapphire eyes are glowing with a protective fury that makes even the ancient dragons give him a wide berth.
“How’s she doing?” Ziggy asks as the first hatchlings follow him into the chamber. Their small voices creating a chorus of concerned chirps and whispers that echo off the high ceiling.
“By the looks of it, she’s getting close.” I stare at the color near her slit, noting its the dark gray like last time, the skin stretched and swollen with the approaching birth. The sight makes my stomachclench with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety that I try to keep from my voice.
Klauth is pacing between the water tub and where a dozen deer lay dead close by, their bodies arranged in neat rows like some macabre offering. “It’s almost time.” He pauses, looking at Mina’s slit for what feels like the millionth time in the last thirty minutes, his crimson flecked amber eyes wild with barely contained panic and excitement.
“Her water hasn’t broken yet,” Leander says calmly as he finishes folding the blankets we’re going to use to clean up the birth fluids, the soft fabric rustling in his hands with each precise movement. We watch Mina’s stomach tense, her massive sides heaving as muscles contract beneath her emerald scales, and her lip curls in a silent snarl of pain. Within seconds, the gush of fluids we were waiting for happens, clear liquid mixed with blood splashing across the stone floor with a wet sound that makes my heart race.
“They’re coming!” Klauth yells, his voice cracking with emotion as he stares up at Thauglor, who responds with a rumbling acknowledgment that vibrates through the chamber.
Shaking my head, I move down Mina’s body to watch for the first egg, the heat radiating from her massive form warming my skin despite the cool air of the underground chamber. Every contraction of her body, I see her swell, muscles rippling beneath her scales as she prepares to push the egg out. The sight is both beautiful and terrifying, raw power and feminine strength combined in ways that leave me breathless. With the next contraction, the point of the egg can be seen, a flash of crimson that makes my pulse spike. “I see a red egg!” I yell, and Klauth pauses, his face going pale for a moment as the reality of fatherhood hits him like a physical blow.
“My progeny!” He yells and slips on the birth fluid, his boots sliding on the slick stone, but manages to remain on his feet through sheer determination. Two contractions later, he’s holding his egg, lookingit over with wonder written across every line of his face. Veins of silver and green thread between the red scales like living jewelry, and his egg is noticeably bigger than the last eggs Mina laid, the size speaking to her increased power and maturity.
“Is it just me, or is that egg bigger?” Vaughn takes the words out of my mouth, his voice filled with the same awe that’s gripping all of us.
“It is. Mina is a wyrm dragon now. Her eggs are perfect.” Klauth hugs his egg against his chest, and I watch Ziggy and Abraxis exchange money, the crisp sound of bills changing hands incongruously mundane in the midst of this miracle.
“Did I miss something?” I bump Ziggy’s shoulder, curiosity getting the better of me despite the tension of the moment.
“I bet Klauth would hug his egg and not let go of it. Abraxis thought he would be too obsessed with the delivery.” Ziggy laughs, the sound warm and fond. “I won.”
Looking over my shoulder, there’s Klauth holding the egg while sitting on the ground with it, his massive frame curled protectively around the precious cargo, looking like a child with his most treasured possession. Shaking my head with affection, I look back as the next egg is coming out, Mina’s body working with an ancient rhythm. “I see a black egg.” The words come out steady, though my heart is racing. Not like that shocks me—Thauglor and I both have black scales, the midnight darkness of our heritage written in our very essence.
I catch the egg before it hits the ground, the shell warm and slightly rough beneath my palms, and bring it forward to Mina. She lowers her massive maw to it and sniffs several times. Her nostrils flaring as she takes in the scent, and rumbles something deep in her throat that resonates through my bones. I look over at Abraxis, and he’s tearing up, emotions overwhelming his usually stoic demeanor.
“It’s Thauglor’s progeny.” I move down Mina’s body to where Thauglor’s head rests, his sapphire eyes fixed on the egg with an intensity that could melt steel. He sniffs the egg, his great nostrils flaring, and nods, satisfaction and joy radiating from his massive form. He rumbles next, and I look back at Abraxis for translation. “He said thank you and to place the egg between Mina’s forelegs.”
“Okay, you’ve got it.” I nod at him and walk back towards Mina’s head, carefully cradling the precious cargo, and sit the egg close to her body where the heat from her massive form will keep it perfectly warm. She purrs, the sound like distant thunder mixed with contentment, and gently nuzzles me with her great head before I walk back to wait for my egg to arrive.
It feels like forever between the second egg and mine, each minute stretching like hours as I watch Mina’s sides heave with exhaustion and effort. The chamber fills with the sounds of her labored breathing and the quiet murmur of voices offering encouragement. Eventually, she pushes again, her massive body straining with renewed effort. The egg that crowns throws me off completely. “It’s silver and green.” I arch a brow, looking at Abraxis, then over at Klauth, confusion written across my features.
I catch the egg as it slips out; the surface gleaming in the chamber’s dim light, and study it with growing wonder. The scaling on it appears to be basilisk-shaped, each individual scale perfectly formed and catching the light like tiny mirrors. It’s the coloring that throws me off—not the pure black I expected, but something entirely unique. “Um, guys, there’s one more,” I hear Callan say, and he moves forward to catch it, his movements quick and sure.
The last egg is pitch black with dragon scales, the surface so dark it seems to absorb light rather than reflect it. Callan rests the second egg against the green and silver one, and we stare at them. Four perfect specimens of new life arranged like precious gems on the chamber floor.
Mina lowers her head after taking a sip of water, her great tongue lapping at the surface with delicate precision despite her massive size, and goes to sleep, exhaustion finally claiming her after the monumental effort of laying. I didn’t even get to bring these two eggs to her. The last moments happening so quickly that protocol fell by the wayside.
Klauth comes over with his egg, still clutching it protectively, and sits it close to the two by me. He sniffs at the two eggs, his nostrils flaring as he takes in their scents, and tilts his head in confusion. “The black one is yours. The green one I can’t tell.” His voice carries uncertainty, unusual for someone usually so confident in his assessments.
Thauglor shifts back to human form, his massive dragon body flowing into his tall, muscular human shape with practiced ease, and walks out from behind Mina. He comes over and sniffs at both eggs, his enhanced senses analyzing what we cannot. “I agree, the black one is definitely yours, Balor. The green one has a mix of all four scents. It’s... odd.” His voice trails off, wonder and confusion warring in his tone.
“Is it a dragon or a new species?” Abraxis asks, voicing the question we’re all thinking but afraid to speak aloud.
“It’s a dragon,” Thauglor says with certainty, and picks up the mysterious green and silver egg to place with his egg near Mina. The shell gleams in his hands like a living jewel. “It doesn’t matter whose egg it is. Mina laid it, and it’s all of ours.” He rumbles, the sound carrying finality and acceptance, then steals Klauth’s egg from him and places it with the others, creating a perfect arrangement between Mina’s massive forelegs.
I look at my egg before I hand it to him, marveling at its perfect ebony surface and the way the scales seem to shift and change in the light. He leans in close to me, his breath warm against my ear as he whispers, “It’s like you.” With a wink that makes my heart skip abeat, he takes my egg and adds it to the clutch that is safe between Mina’s forelegs, the four eggs nestled together like precious stones in a dragon’s hoard.
My progeny is like me—it’s a basilisk. The knowledge fills me with pride and anticipation, knowing that part of my unique heritage will live on in this perfect little being growing within its protective shell. Looking at the clutch, four eggs representing three different fathers but one beloved mother, I can’t help but smile. Whatever challenges lie ahead, these children will be born into a family that loves them unconditionally, differences and all.
Three days later…
Unlike last time, Mina is more relaxed about her progeny, the tension that marked her first laying replaced by a maternal confidence that radiates from her like warmth from a hearth. I find her and the hatchlings curled up in the gryphon nest in the egg chamber in the afternoon. The space filled with the soft sounds of contented breathing and the gentle rustle of feathers and scales.
Mina has the eggs behind her, their surfaces gleaming like precious gems in the flickering torchlight that dances across the stone walls. I notice her skin is covered in scales that catch the firelight like scattered emeralds, while her talons are extended, razor-sharp points that speak of lethal protection. More dragonic features are visible while she sleeps, her human facade relaxed enough to let her true nature show through.
