Chapter one
Celia
Whatwasthepointof having baby fire dragons if they couldn’t even keep your house warm?
Frost nipped at Celia’s nose, even in her bed, and she burrowed deeper under the covers as she noticed the weight sitting on her chest.
“Would one of you go start the fire?”she asked, sticking her head out, pulling the covers under her chin to glare at the three orange dragons perched on her.
Sizzle squeaked and hopped down onto the floor.Her wings weren’t working well yet, which was one of her reasons for still being here.
The main reason was that the three of them had hatched far too early for fire dragons, and the early spring chill was still too cold for them.Most of the fire dragon eggs were still in their nests, with plenty of dirt insulating them.Why these three had hatched early, she wasn’t sure, but she was glad for the opportunity to take care of them—especially if it meant she was able to have them here to keep her fire going as the remnants of winter ravaged the foothills of the Gloaming Mountains.
Spark and Flame readjusted themselves, their weight comforting.
“Are you two gonna let her do all the work?”Celia asked, looking down at them as best as she could.
They squeaked and muttered something quietly, and Celia turned her head to watch as Sizzle coughed up a tiny flame toward the fireplace.There were still enough charred sticks that should have caught easily, but Sizzle’s little sparks weren’t quite enough.
“Spark, go help her out,” Celia said, nodding toward the fire.
Spark sighed and got to his feet, using his wings to help carry himself over.One of his legs didn’t work as well as the other.Celia was doing her best to strengthen it and hoped that, as it grew warmer, the fire dragon would grow stronger.
“Should I let you be lazy?”Celia asked Flame, the runt of the three.
Flame chirped, nestled, and rubbed her head against the quilt covering Celia.
She laughed and reached down to pet the tiny fire dragon, whose warmth could be felt even through the quilt.
“Slide up here,” she said.“My nose is cold.”
Flame scooted her way up Celia’s chest before nestling into her neck.
Celia turned her head, burying her nose into the spot where Flame’s neck met her scaly shoulder.
“Thank you,” she said, lifting her head slightly to watch as Sizzle and Spark worked together to light the logs.
“Nice work, you two,” she said as they made their way back to the bed with their task accomplished, the spicy smoke smell of dragon fire accompanying them.
Spark used his wings to get himself back on the bed while Sizzle paused at the edge until Celia reached down and scooped her up.
“Thank you for helping,” she said, rubbing her finger along the hatchling’s neck.
Sizzle let out a noise that Celia could only describe as a dragon’s best attempt at purring.
Spark chirped and made his way closer, as if to ask if he had done a good job too.Celia smiled and rubbed her finger down his face, along the bridge of his nose.He seemed to like his attention a little rougher than his sisters.
“You all did well,” she said.
The three hatchlings curled up on her neck, and Celia let them for a moment before she felt as if she was being smothered.
“All right, that’s enough,” she said.“Time to get up, you three.”
Her nose had almost thawed out, and it was promising to be a warmer day than the one before.That meant the earth dragon nest she’d been watching might be almost ready to hatch.She’d noted some shifting in the mound, which was a good sign that the eggs were starting to move.
“You three can help me make breakfast,” she said.“And then we’re going to go check on that nest.Hopefully they’ll be hatching today.”
She slid out of bed, her feet hitting the cold floor.She ought to have stayed in bed a little longer.Hastily, she reached for her socks and pulled them on, slipped her feet into her boots, pulled on her overdress, and tied her apron around herself.
