William shook his head. “Nay. Ye heard wrong. She said she thought William was a fine name. She had already called me by it before she pulled the shell away. She knew me before I was born. I remember it now. ’Tis the only way the magic knew ’twas safe to release me into her arms.”
“How are ye supposed to know their names?” Gearlach asked as he looked out across all the remaining eggs.
“Listen to their whispers.” William nodded toward the egg in Taggart’s arms. “Can ye not hear him? He’s crying out to ye even now.”
Taggart frowned at the youngling, then eyed the rumbling egg. He heard nothing other than scratching, a series of thumps, and hissing growls. He held the egg higher and tilted an ear almost close enough to touch the shell.
“Nostradamae,”said the growling whisper from inside it.
“Nostradamae,” Taggart repeated, readying himself for another shock as he grabbed the bit of shell and pulled. The painful jolt didn’t come. Instead, he found himself nose to nose with a moist, green snout.
The struggling hatchling pushed his head through the membrane with a pop as the rest of the shell gave way. Nostradamae purred and rubbed his slimy muzzle against Taggart’s chin after clambering the rest of the way out.
“See? All ye had to do was call his name. Now ye’ve only got eighteen more to go.” William bobbed his head, bouncing excitedly around the other eggs.
“William, hush!” Septamus drew closer and examined the newlyhatched young Draecna Taggart held. “He must also meld with each of them. They must taste of his DNA to speed up their maturity.”
“Taste his what?” William eyed the hatchling as it squirmed in Taggart’s arms, then tugged on Septamus’s wing. “How?”
“I do not need the additional commentary. Silence, if ye please!” Taggart shot them both a withering glare. Septamus knew better. He was an upper-level Draecna. Had even served in Mother’s court as an advisor.
Septamus bowed his head and silenced William with a thump on the tip of his snout. “Forgive us. Please continue and we shall watch with thepeace and quietyou require.”
With a roll of his shoulders to rid himself of as much tension as possible, Taggart shifted to his Draecna form. Nostradamae trilled and flapped his damp little wings, his glowing eyes growing wide at the sudden metamorphosis.
“I willna hurt ye little one. Ye will soon be as big as I.” After seating the wee youngling back on the pedestal, Taggart unsheathed a single silver-tipped claw and cut a gash in his palm. He held his bleeding fist over the hatchling and allowed three drops to fall between Nostradamae’s horns in the center of his tiny, wrinkled forehead. With a silent prayer for the melding to work, Taggart placed his other hand firmly atop the blood and concentrated on the last seven hundred years, sifting through his memories. As his hand warmed then glowed, the blood soaked into the hatchling and disappeared as though it had never been there. Nostradamae’s physical size increased in a matter of minutes until he stood as large and muscular as Taggart.
Once Taggart broke the connection, the fully matured Draecna opened his eyes. His deep voice rumbled from the depths of his broad, sparkling chest. “I am ready to battle at your side, Father. When do we leave for Erastaed?”
Taggart blew out a relieved breath. Thank the gods and goddesses. The melding worked and no sign of mental poisoning shone in Nostradamae’s eyes. The tension eased as he gave thepowerful young Draecna a nod of approval. “As soon as I awaken the rest of yer siblings, we leave for Erastaed.”
The floorof her new cell caught a little warmth from the afternoon sun. Not much since the lone window near the ceiling was as small as before, but she was thankful for anything. She stayed in the slip of sunlight while steering clear of what appeared to be a fresh bloodstain nearby. Several tiny insects buzzed around her head, circling close to her ears. She batted them away. Apparently, the blood had drawn gnats or flies in through the open window.
“Cease your attack, Lady Guardian. We bring word from Taggart. You must not release the hatchling. Your life, all our lives, depend on it.”
Hannah frowned, moving back a step as she eyed her surroundings. “Who said that?” she croaked, her throat flinching, dry and parched as her cracked and bleeding lips.
One of the flies buzzed into her tangled hair. “Taggart sent us to warn you. Do not release the hatchling. You will be safe soon.”
She prayed the fly had actually spoken, and it wasn’t a hallucination. A burst of adrenal made her heart pound. “I know better than to release the hatchling,” she whispered. “ Once I do, Sloan will order me killed. But tell Taggart to hurry. The little Draecna scratches constantly. I don’t think she can wait much longer. Her shell is too confining.”
“She?” The fly buzzed its wings. “Are you certain the hatchling is female?”
“Yes. This one is female. Her name is Esme. Why do you sound so surprised?” An ominous foreboding settled in her gut, making it clench.
“A female is not due to be born for another several hundred years. Hatchlings are almost always male. It is the way of the Draecna, Lady Guardian. Too complicated to explain now.”
Hannah closed her eyes and leaned her head back against thewall. This only made matters worse. She wished Taggart had given her a handbook on Draecna lore. Every time she turned around, she found another tidbit of information she should have already known. “Why are females so rare? And how bad is it that this one is?” She braced herself for the fly’s answer.
The insect fluttered free of her hair and hovered in front of her face. “Females are the life bringers. The egg bearers. Even able to grant immortality to humans. Their mystical powers are much greater than the males. Female Draecna are truly precious indeed.”
Hannah rubbed her aching neck and blew out a heavy sigh. “So, Esme must stay in her egg to not only save my life, but prevent Sloan from becoming immortal. Correct?” She closed her eyes and massaged her throbbing temples. Lack of sleep, meager bits of spoiled food, and hopelessness was taking its toll.
After buzzing a circle around her head, the bug flew back to her ear. “Keep the female in her egg. Taggart storms Tiersa Deun soon. I will tell him the time nears and that the hatchling is a female. You must stay strong, Lady Guardian. You must not give up hope.”
“It’s hard not to,” she whispered, then propped her arms on her knees and buried her head in them. She had always thought Granny’s stories a little eccentric. Now, she wished she had taken notes about those magical creatures resembling the mythical dragons. She would have been better prepared.
Her eyes burned with unshed tears, making her swallow hard against an aching knot of emotions. “Why didn’t you tell me the truth, Granny? Why didn’t you make it more clear what you were trying to teach me?”
