Read Online The Dragons of Argent and Silver (Tales from the New Earth #6) by J.J. Thompson - Free Book Online
Authors: J.J. Thompson
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they are, so I was able to snatch the egg and leave before
things got too,” he grinned widely, “hot for me, as it
were.”
Simon chuckled at the pun.
“Good. Well done. I very much
appreciate the favor, Incendus.”
The burning figure made a dismissive
gesture.
“Not at all, not at all. The hunt
was rather dull, I will admit, but capturing the egg made up for it.
Now, what else can I do to assist you?”
Simon was staring at the egg in
fascination. Its leathery, skin-like surface was both interesting and
disgusting at the same time.
“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all,”
he said as he looked up at the elemental. “I am beyond grateful
for this, but you are quite free to return to the realm of fire
whenever you wish.”
“As you have never tried to
command me, sir wizard, I am always free to do that, am I not?”
Incendus bent over and took a last long
look at the egg.
“Ugly thing when you get right
down to it, isn't it? Well, whatever you intend to do with it, good
luck. I must tell you that I believe the red dragons are reproducing
at an alarming rate. You might want to keep that in mind going
forward.”
Simon narrowed his eyes and focused on
the elemental.
“What makes you say that?”
“The fact that there were a
half-dozen of these things in that one nest. If that is typical, and
if the several hundred red dragons that exist are mating, then I
invite you to compute the total of new dragonets. Now, I don't know
how long it will take for those young dragons to mature, but even if
it is a decade, you may only have that length of time before those
several hundred become several thousand.”
He shook his head and his expression
darkened.
“A fairly grim prospect, don't
you think?”
“Damn. I hadn't actually done the
numbers in my head,” Simon told him, appalled. “If we
don't find a way to thin out their ranks, we'll be ass-deep in
dragons soon.”
“I agree. Well, let us cross that
bridge when the need arises.”
Incendus bowed with a flourish.
“Do call when you need me again,
Simon O'Toole. I enjoy the little jobs you give me.”
Before the wizard could reply, the
elemental disappeared like a snuffed flame, leaving the smell of
ashes and soot behind him.
“So this is a dragon egg,
master,” Kronk muttered as he approached the ovoid.
He put his small hands against the side
of the egg and Simon almost warned him off; the object was still
radiating heat. But he remembered that Kronk wasn't affected by fire
and watched with interest as the earthen ran his hands across the
egg.
“What do you think?” the
wizard asked when the little guy was finished and stepped back.
“Think, master? I think that it
is disgusting and evil and I think that if you did not need it for
this ritual of yours, I would crush it and stomp on it and bury it
deep.”
Simon stared at Kronk in open-mouthed
surprise. The earthen was the most gentle of souls, most of the time.
His reply had caught the wizard off-guard.
“Really? That's so unlike you,”
he said hesitantly to the little guy.
“No, master. Forgive me for
correcting you, but it is not. My people hate evil in all of its
forms and this?” Kronk pointed at the egg, his blocky face
twisted with distaste. “This is potentially a servant of the
gods of Chaos. Pure evil in every way. One day, if allowed to hatch
and mature, it could be a threat to you, master. So I would willingly
destroy it and all of its kind if I could.”
“Um, okay then. Good to know.
Anyway, I guess when it's cooled down enough, we can put it
downstairs with the vial of drake's blood. Now all we need is the
blood from the dragon queen and we're good to go.”
'That is correct,' Esmiralla's internal
voice told him faintly.
“I will take it to the cellar for
you, master,” Kronk said stoutly, overcoming his obvious
aversion to the egg. “Once it is no longer hot.”
“Thanks a lot. Now if only Aeris
and the others could get back from their excursion, we could get on
with
things got too,” he grinned widely, “hot for me, as it
were.”
Simon chuckled at the pun.
“Good. Well done. I very much
appreciate the favor, Incendus.”
The burning figure made a dismissive
gesture.
“Not at all, not at all. The hunt
was rather dull, I will admit, but capturing the egg made up for it.
Now, what else can I do to assist you?”
Simon was staring at the egg in
fascination. Its leathery, skin-like surface was both interesting and
disgusting at the same time.
“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all,”
he said as he looked up at the elemental. “I am beyond grateful
for this, but you are quite free to return to the realm of fire
whenever you wish.”
“As you have never tried to
command me, sir wizard, I am always free to do that, am I not?”
Incendus bent over and took a last long
look at the egg.
“Ugly thing when you get right
down to it, isn't it? Well, whatever you intend to do with it, good
luck. I must tell you that I believe the red dragons are reproducing
at an alarming rate. You might want to keep that in mind going
forward.”
Simon narrowed his eyes and focused on
the elemental.
“What makes you say that?”
“The fact that there were a
half-dozen of these things in that one nest. If that is typical, and
if the several hundred red dragons that exist are mating, then I
invite you to compute the total of new dragonets. Now, I don't know
how long it will take for those young dragons to mature, but even if
it is a decade, you may only have that length of time before those
several hundred become several thousand.”
He shook his head and his expression
darkened.
“A fairly grim prospect, don't
you think?”
“Damn. I hadn't actually done the
numbers in my head,” Simon told him, appalled. “If we
don't find a way to thin out their ranks, we'll be ass-deep in
dragons soon.”
“I agree. Well, let us cross that
bridge when the need arises.”
Incendus bowed with a flourish.
“Do call when you need me again,
Simon O'Toole. I enjoy the little jobs you give me.”
Before the wizard could reply, the
elemental disappeared like a snuffed flame, leaving the smell of
ashes and soot behind him.
“So this is a dragon egg,
master,” Kronk muttered as he approached the ovoid.
He put his small hands against the side
of the egg and Simon almost warned him off; the object was still
radiating heat. But he remembered that Kronk wasn't affected by fire
and watched with interest as the earthen ran his hands across the
egg.
“What do you think?” the
wizard asked when the little guy was finished and stepped back.
“Think, master? I think that it
is disgusting and evil and I think that if you did not need it for
this ritual of yours, I would crush it and stomp on it and bury it
deep.”
Simon stared at Kronk in open-mouthed
surprise. The earthen was the most gentle of souls, most of the time.
His reply had caught the wizard off-guard.
“Really? That's so unlike you,”
he said hesitantly to the little guy.
“No, master. Forgive me for
correcting you, but it is not. My people hate evil in all of its
forms and this?” Kronk pointed at the egg, his blocky face
twisted with distaste. “This is potentially a servant of the
gods of Chaos. Pure evil in every way. One day, if allowed to hatch
and mature, it could be a threat to you, master. So I would willingly
destroy it and all of its kind if I could.”
“Um, okay then. Good to know.
Anyway, I guess when it's cooled down enough, we can put it
downstairs with the vial of drake's blood. Now all we need is the
blood from the dragon queen and we're good to go.”
'That is correct,' Esmiralla's internal
voice told him faintly.
“I will take it to the cellar for
you, master,” Kronk said stoutly, overcoming his obvious
aversion to the egg. “Once it is no longer hot.”
“Thanks a lot. Now if only Aeris
and the others could get back from their excursion, we could get on
with
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