Page 30 of Exile
Alive.
It was alive.
We had a baby.
It blinked watery, confused eyes at us, and I grinned, reaching right into the fire and picking the egg up, pulling it close enough for Blake to get a better look, even though he still couldn’t touch it, for the heat.
The hatchling blinked again, then gave a shove at the edge of the egg. When the shell didn’t move, its tiny head bent over the problem of its prison, glaring at the thing. A moment later came a tiny cracking sound, and the shell split down one side, emitting a little soggy dragonling.
A girl.
“A niece,” I whispered, leaning against Blake’s arm. “We have a niece.”
Moments later, everyone else who’d heard Blake’s call came rushing in to see what the fuss was. Fuss that had been entirely worth it.
For the first time since we’d lost my sister, we truly felt like a clan again. Like family.
And we had a baby girl to raise, together.
