Dragonspell - Donita K. Paul [33]
Kale pulled the egg pouch from under her blouse and hastily opened the top. When she slipped the egg out into her hand, she saw a fine network of cracks covering the shell. The egg had once been alabaster white. Now it appeared bluish-gray even in the azure light from her rock. As she held the egg tenderly in her palm, she felt movement within.
“Oh. Oh!” she whispered, barely containing her excitement. She glanced around to see if the others had noticed what was happening.
Dar bent over his sewing; Leetu’s nose was in her book.
Should I show them? Kale looked back at the egg. No. This is between me and the dragon inside.
She held the egg close to her chest with one hand and picked up the book with the other. She needed to read more. What should she do when the shell cracked open? What should she feed the baby dragon? Should he be wrapped warmly or kept cool?
She read as long as she could keep her eyes open. Finally she tucked the egg back in its pouch, slipped the pouch securely beneath her blouse, and put the book and lightrock away. Even as she closed her eyes, she wondered about the baby dragon.
Will I be able to take care of it well enough? Did Wulder really decide I should be the one to raise the dragon? Is it a girl or a boy? What do you name a dragon? If Wulder gave me this responsibility, will He also tell me how to do a good job? When Mistress Meiger gave me a new task, she always made sure I knew how to do it. Surely Wulder is smarter than Mistress Meiger.
Sunbeams filtered through the dense branches above and made a dappled green light in the bower around the three travelers. Kale opened her eyes, touched the pouch beneath her blouse, and sat up. The egg was still whole, Dar and Leetu were awake, and Kale was starved. Beside her, the skirt lay folded neatly. She shook it out to put it on and discovered Dar had remodeled it with his needle. Now she had a pair of knickers.
“Dar!”
He looked up at her call and grinned, the comical smile spreading from ear to ear. “Do you like them?”
“This is wonderful.” Kale stood as he turned back to his breakfast. She pulled the knickers on, then tucked in her blouse. Twirling around on the thickly woven branch floor beneath her feet, she laughed. “This will be so much easier to walk in.”
“Put on your boots,” ordered Leetu, but Kale saw the friendly smile on the emerlindian’s face. “Eat breakfast, sleepyhead. We have miles to go today.”
Kale sat down again and pulled on her soft leather boots, tucking the new pant legs into the tops. “Do we know where we’re going?” she asked.
“No,” admitted Leetu. “But I aim to waste no time getting there.”
Dar laughed. He had a bowl in his hand and spooned up what looked like porridge. Kale eyed his breakfast, and her stomach rumbled.
Again the cheerful doneel laughed. “There’s plenty for you, if Leetu will wait long enough for you to eat.”
Leetu had her bags packed. She sat down, rested her back against a trunk, and pulled out her book.
Kale smiled at Dar and winked. “I think I have time.”
She savored the warm pudding, which tasted of cinnamon and apples, while Dar heated water for washing in a kettle over the fire.
The doneel took the dishes when she finished eating. “I’ll go below with these and use swamp water to rinse off the worst of the leftovers.” He disappeared through a gap in the flooring.
Kale put on her cape and then took out the egg to have one last look before they began the day’s journey. As she cradled it, three sharp taps bumped against one palm. Then the dragon within lay quiet for a moment. The taps occurred on the other side of the egg next.
Just like the book said. He, or she, is twitching and turning. Maybe today the egg will hatch. She looked over to where Leetu still read. Maybe I should tell her. Suppose we ought to stay in one place to let the dragon rest instead of being jostled around all the time? She remembered the page that said dragons traveled well, but she couldn’t help but think of how fragile a chicken