“Why are there booby traps inside the campus?” I wheezed as I rubbed my stomach. “Are there any other surprises that I should be aware of?”
“It’s a necessity, and yes, you should always be on your guard,” he said as if that were obvious. “Dragon eggs are powerful objects on their own, even unhatched. They could be a source of great evil in the wrong hands.”
I bit the inside of my lip, then winced and ran over the groove with my tongue. I really needed to stop that bad habit.
It reminded me once again of the duality that the Dean had tried to describe to me.
It can be a blessing or a curse.
I followed Killian down more steps, trying not to complain once again about the lack of elevators. Several more enchantments glimmered to life as we descended. Bulbless lamps burst with magical flames and lit our way, followed by a waterfall that framed a small entrance. Killian stepped through without hesitation, so I followed. Neither of us came out wet on the other side, although a slightly sour stench clung to my uniform.
“That was the Waterfall of Intention,” Killian explained, his shoulders relaxing as he appraised me. “Another one of the dwarves’ inventions. If either of us had ill will toward the Egg Sanctuary, it would have attempted to block us.”
“Cool,” I said, once again clinging to my decision not to think too hard about magical revelations that I didn’t understand. “Sounds high-tech.”
He raised a brow. “High… tech?”
I smirked. “You know, technology? Phones? Computers? Elevators?” I couldn’t help but adding the last one.
A line formed as he furrowed his brows. “I haven’t heard of those things.”
Right. I kept forgetting Killian and I were literally raised in different worlds. “I’m getting total revenge when you come back to Earth with me,” I said, bopping his nose with my finger.
He frowned and backed away as the energy from the brief contact sizzled through the air. “Don’t count on it,” he murmured before turning to a closed door and knocking.
I didn’t have time to ask if he meant we wouldn’t be going to Earth together, or if he was so arrogant to believe he was beyond culture shock. A fumbling noise sounded, followed by the eye-slot yanking open. A pair of green eyes peered at us as a grumpy male voice barked, “Who is it?”
“Orientation student for you,” Killian said. “You know the rules, Finn. Don’t make me wait out here all day.” He wrinkled his nose. “Plus, I think your Intention Waterfall is accumulating mold.”
Cursing ensued as the eye-slit slammed shut. More fumbling sounded before the door creaked open. Killian pushed his way inside while the dwarf scowled at us. He dragged along a step-ladder while he grumbled something about good-for-nothing knights.
“Vivi, meet Finn,” Killian said with a wry smile. “He’s delighted to meet a new student, I’m sure.”
“Waste of time!” Finn grumbled as he waddled into the massive room filled with shelves of colorful, ovular objects poking out of perfectly spherical nests.
I scanned the otherworldly display, taking in the ruby reds, emerald greens, and even a few diamond and pearl shells inside the nests.
“Stop gawking,” Finn barked as he shuffled over to a bucket. He yanked his ladder into place. “Make yerself useful.” He shoved a brush into my hand that dripped with shimmering goop.
I gave Killian a pleading glance, but the dwarf had given him a brush too and he dutifully coated one of the eggs on the higher shelves Finn had trouble reaching.
“May I ask what this stuff is?” I asked as I found an egg of my own to coat.
“No questions!” Finn insisted. “More coating!”
If this was my orientation, I wasn’t impressed.
Killian seemed unperturbed by the dwarf’s demands and moved onto the next egg as Topaz settled around his neck for a nap, securing himself in place with his talons. Killian didn’t seem to mind. “It’s a mixture of enchanted oils and dragon blood,” he said.
I paused my brushstrokes and inspected the glimmering moisture that sank into the egg I was working on. “Blood?”
Finn snorted. “Don’t act surprised. What else would nourish dragon eggs but the lifeforce of their own?” He slapped another layer of the goop onto the shell. “It’s not like I’m covering the eggs to fry them.”
Killian smirked at me. “Don’t mind Finn, he’s just grumpy because he’s been working overtime to keep the eggs alive.” There was a note of humor in his voice, but I didn’t miss the melancholy note to it.
There’s not much magic left.
“I can hear you,” Finn snapped. He jumped down his ladder to recoat his brush when ash began to trickle to the floor.
Blood rushed in my ears and my birthmark began to burn, but Killian rested a light touch on my arm, calming me as energy swarmed between us. “It’s the egg sorting through the corrupted components of the wild dragon blood and the usable magic, keeping the clean parts and discarding the rest. It knows what it’s doing, don’t worry.”
“Huh,” I murmured as Finn absently swept the ash into a dustpan, ignoring my amazement.
“We helped you with your chores,” Killian complained, raising his voice. “Can we get on with orientation now? We do have actual things to do, Finn.”
The dwarf gave Killian the stink-eye. “Don’t expect me to stop workin’ just because a Knight and a wanna-be Valkyrie shows up.” He dipped his brush again. “Ain’t nobody else have the magic finesse to keep these eggs alive.”
“Aren’t there others who can help you?” I asked, honestly concerned about the overworked dwarf.
“Nope,” he said, going back to his work. “I’m the last of the healers. My pops wanted me to become a Smithy, but I always
