Page 36 of Queen of the Cursed Egg
Mina sits back slowly, her breathing labored, sweat beading on her forehead. She motions for her babies to be given back to her, reaching out with trembling hands. Mina’s hatchling is almost twicethe size of her older cousins, her form more developed and confident. She reaches out and strokes the scales on her daughter’s back, the gentle rasp audible in the quiet room.
“Lily, go make friends with your cousins,” Mina encourages, her voice soft but carrying an undercurrent of authority that no creature could ignore. When she turns to look for the kittens, they are six feet away, attacking their father, tumbling all over him. Their purrs and growls of delight echo off the walls as they pounce on Ziggy’s massive form.
“How is it possible you can break the anointing oil’s hold?” Cerce asks, staring at the three hatchlings getting to know each other, her voice hushed with awe and a hint of fear.
“She’s the dominant dragoness born of ancient bloodlines,” Thauglor answers, his deep voice resonating in my chest as he moves to sit on the furs with Mina. The scent of smoke and cinnamon follows him, an ancient smell that speaks of power and age. I’m thinking the books were completely wrong about both ancients in our nests.
“What’s that look for, Balor?” Klauth pulls me aside gently so as not to disturb the children from getting to know each other. His hand on my arm is like hot iron, a reminder of the fire that burns within him.
“I’ll have to show you the books that we have about the cursed eggs. They painted you and Thauglor as bloodthirsty monsters,” I mention, nodding toward Thauglor as he runs his fingers through Mina’s hair, detangling it with surprising tenderness, his claws carefully avoiding her scalp. “By what was written about him, I never thought I’d see this happening.” I look from Thauglor back to Klauth, searching his ancient eyes for confirmation.
He chuckles a little and sighs, his breath carrying the faint smell of brimstone. “The books were very accurate about Thauglor’s temper. Mina, being his mate, has allowed him to want to be gentle with someone.” Klauth tilts his head, watching his oldest friend, athousand years of shared history evident in his gaze. “I never thought either of us would find our mate. Figures we had to wait over a thousand years for her to be born.” He forces a smile, the expression not quite reaching his eyes, before going to join Thauglor and Mina on the furs.
There are three things I know with certainty. One, the ancients will destroy the world to protect our mate, their power an unmistakable presence in the room like static before a storm. Two, by some miracle, even the mammals in the nests will be able to have children of their own, a new generation whose laughter might fill these ancient halls. Three, I get to have Mina all to myself tonight, a thought that sends heat curling through my veins and quickens my pulse with anticipation.
CHAPTER 24
Mina
TODAY IS THE DAY.
It’s hours before dawn,the air crisp and biting against my scales as I watch Ziggy phase the fake eggs plus the shells of my two real eggs to the dummy nest. The stone beneath my claws is cold and rough, tiny pebbles grinding under my weight as I shift into position. Klauth sits under my wing in his human form. His body radiating heat against my sensitive membrane, his scent—spiced smoke and ancient power—filling my nostrils with each breath. Abraxis waits a little further down the mountain, a dark silhouette against the sky, watching over “his” clutch.
My eyes scan the horizon, pupils dilating to capture every flicker of movement in the pre-dawn darkness. The distant mountains are jagged teeth against the navy sky, waiting and watching for the moment my father will strike. The tension coils in my muscles, making my wings twitch with anticipation. Not only do we have him to worry about, but also a war with the mages from the north. Then there’s also the council that who knows what they are up to.
‘You seem tense, mate,’ Klauth uses our mental bond to talk to me, his voice a warm caress inside my mind.
‘Tense is an understatement,’I respond, feeling my heart pound heavily against my ribcage.‘We have my dad to worry about. Mages that keep killing off dragons before they hit wyrm status. And a council that seems to have it out for females.’I list off the top three things that are bothering me, the anxiety bitter on my tongue.‘Size wise, I am almost at the beginning of wyrm status. Does that mean I’m going to be hunted, too?’I turn my head, pretending to adjust my eggs while actually peeking at Klauth under my wing. His skin gleams like polished bronze in the faint starlight, his eyes two burning embers in the darkness.
‘No one will touch a single hair on your head. I will torch this continent if I have to.’Klauth says and rests a hand on my maw, his touch electric against my scales, before I pull my head back out to scan the horizon. The promise in his voice sends a shiver down my spine, both terrifying and comforting.
The sound of birds breaking free from the trees below catches my attention, their panicked wings flapping against the still air. I slow my breathing, each exhale a controlled warm cloud in the chilly night, so I can hear even the smallest pebble moving close by. My nostrils flare, testing the air for unfamiliar scents. Instinctually, I drop my wings to shield my eggs, the leathery membranes creating a protective tent. It needs to look like I’m guarding a real nest.
Wing beats fill the air, the sound growing louder with each passing second, and soon two green dragons breach the mountain from the west. Their scales gleam dully in the starlight, the scent of acid and decay preceding them. None of them are my father. I strike them down immediately with my lightning breath weapon, the electric charge building in my throat like a storm before erupting from my jaws. The sharp crack of lightning splits the air, followed by the acrid smell of ozone and burning scales. They fall before they even have achance to open their maws to spray their acid, their bodies tumbling down the mountainside with dull thuds.
“Bravo, Mina...” The slow clapping from behind me makes me turn and crane my neck, vertebrae popping with the sudden movement. My father stands there in his leathers without his hood and mask, his face a map of cruelty I know all too well. The leather creaks as he moves, the scent of old blood and malice wafting from him. “Look at you armored with a powerful breath weapon. You’re welcome.” He says smugly as he walks along the stone behind me, each footstep deliberate and threatening.
I don’t budge, my claws digging deeper into the rock beneath me, instead sharing my vision with Klauth so he knows what I’m dealing with.‘All he has to do is threaten or attack and I can end him as is my right as your mate,’Klauth growls in my head, his rage a hot pulse against my consciousness.
“Grab your eggs and come with me. I’ll grab whatever you can’t carry. We can rule this continent together. You are the queen, after all. We just need to kill the king.” Abaddon says with a twisted smile that doesn’t reach his cold eyes. His teeth gleam unnaturally white in the darkness, like a predator’s display.
I shake my head no at him and hunker down, pressing my belly closer to the ground to shield the nest. The stones dig into my underbelly, but I ignore the discomfort. He needs to believe that my eggs are real. I watch as he walks down the crags over to the small flat spot before the nest, his footsteps confident and measured. A familiar knot of dread forms in my stomach, a pavlovian response to his presence.
“I gave you the power you wield, you ungrateful female. I honed you into a lethal weapon. You are smarter, stronger, and faster than any of the males I’ve ever trained.” He yells, his voice echoing across the mountain peaks, and for once in my life, he’s praising me in his own twisted way. The words feel poisoned, each one a barb meant tohook into my skin. I snort in his direction, and sparks skitter across the dirt, illuminating his face in brief flashes of blue-white light.
“Don’t make me tear you off that nest.” He yells at me, and I want to laugh at him, the absurdity of his threat almost comical. His dragon is barely half my size now, his scales duller and thinner than mine. The metallic taste of anticipation fills my mouth. How does he think that’s going to work?
I rumble at him; the sound vibrating from deep in my chest, daring him to try. My wings tilt and flare, the membranes stretching taut as I raise all of my scales to make myself look bigger than I am. The friction of scale against scale creates a sound like armored plates shifting. I raise my frill, and lightning jumps from spine to spine, casting eerie blue shadows across the rocky terrain as I stare down at the man that’s lived in my nightmares for the last three years. The scent of his fear is faint but unmistakable, a sour note beneath his usual stench.
Abaddon makes the mistake of shifting, his human form disappearing in a blur of motion as he transforms, and realizes how much smaller than me he is. His scales catch the dim light, a sickly green that reminds me of stagnant water. He spits his acid at me, the liquid arcing through the air with a hiss, and it just runs off my scales like water off a duck’s back.‘He just spit acid at me,’I laugh through the mental connection with Klauth, a bubble of hysterical relief rising in my chest.
‘Do you want me to end him?’He asks, and I contemplate his offer, feeling the weight of the decision pressing on me.
‘No, I need to do this. He can’t hurt me anymore. I can’t live in fear forever,’I say to Klauth as I rise up, my muscles bunching and stretching as I stalk forward. The ground trembles slightly beneath my weight, small stones cascading down the mountainside with each step.
Abaddon’s dragon lowers its head with its frill up, the membranes between the spines a sickly translucent green in the faint light, as he tries to spit acid again. It hits my face and runs off my scales not doing any damage, though the smell makes my nostrils burn.
Lightning is too quick of a death, the mercy of it undeserved. My other breath weapon will only knock him out to wake up later. Instead, I charge and grab him with my talons, the sharp points piercing his softer underbelly scales with sickening ease. I climb up into the sky with him, my powerful wings creating downdrafts that scatter loose rocks below us. The air grows colder as we ascend, thin and biting against my nostrils.
