Fortune seemed to be on Evelyn’s side for now. As the sky faded from its warm, orange hue to the darkness of night, she reached the edge of the forest with no issue. Peeking from behind a tree, she noticed the lights inside the house indicating her father was home. She took a deep breath and crept to the barn entrance, stopping every few seconds to make sure she was still alone as her heart still pounded. After a long moment, she entered the barn and quietly shut the door behind her, letting out a long sigh, releasing all the built up trepidation. With some reassurance that she was in the clear for now, she placed the egg on a stack of hay and let herself crumble to her knees, her arms hanging to her sides like wet noodles. It had been a long time since she had a hike like that, not to mention the egg that was half her weight. The hay around her felt very comfortable at that moment.

Evelyn reluctantly got back to her feet and started for the door, the thought of her warm, soft bed giving her energy to walk. To keep her arms from dangling, she put her hands in her pockets and felt the rough, crumbled envelope she completely forgot about.

Somehow the most important letter of her life became an afterthought within hours of receiving it. The results it held and the anxiety it bestowed upon her faded.

Taking the letter out of her pocket, she stared at the cracked, crumpled seal. She thought of going inside to open the letter with her dad. His apathetic look for whatever her result plagued her mind. A quick ‘congratulations’ or ‘sorry, sweetie’ would await her. A reaction she could neither deny would happen, or look forward to. She looked back at the egg. He couldn’t react, even if the hatchling inside wanted to, just a silent reaction. For some reason, that felt more comforting to Evelyn, as if there was someone there who actually cared. But it was just an egg. Would it be silly for Evelyn to read her letter to the egg? Possibly, but Evelyn found herself sitting next to him, nudging her shoulder with the cool shell.

“Well, are you ready to see what my future holds?” she asked, staring at the egg as if it could respond. With a giggle, she rubbed the seal with her thumb like she did in the forest, but this time, she felt calm. Her mind was a tranquil sea, the surface undisturbed by any pressing breeze. The rhythm of her heart was smooth and slow, no rapid pacing like before. She was no longer afraid.

Logic would say it was the adrenaline rush from earlier that drained her of any energy to worry. But something inside her felt as if the egg was influencing her emotions, calming her down. There was no way for Evelyn to be sure, but she was certain staying with the egg was the right decision.

“Here goes nothing.” In one smooth motion, Evelyn slipped her thumb under the fold, lifting it to reveal the paper inside. She slowly pulled the folded sheet from the envelope and tossed the latter aside. With one last deep breath, she unfurled the letter and began reading.

Ms. Evelyn Eir,

Thank you for applying to the Dragon Healers Academy.

After careful consideration of you and our many other candidates, we are thrilled to inform you that you have been accepted as a student for the upcoming semester.

We shall watch your education and career with great interest. The healers and dragons look forward to meeting you soon.

‘Where elements unite and healing takes flight.’

-Dean of Healers

“I made it… I made it!” Evelyn squealed, kicking her legs out in excitement. She found herself wrapping her arms around the egg, holding it in a warm, delicate embrace. After a moment, the rush of happiness and comfort was replaced by a sinking feeling. She stared at the egg as her mind started racing. “What am I going to do with you?”

Taking him with her to the academy was out of the question. Hiding him there would be impossible and would lead to certain capture. But she couldn’t just give up on her dream, everything she had worked towards. Not only that, she needed to do this for Delain. She needed to learn to care for her son. She wracked her mind for solutions; but none came, her mind went blank. Help was required, and she could think of only one person she trusted enough to help with this.

Reaching into her pocket, a rush of relief flooded Evelyn as she pulled out her phone, worried she lost it in her forest incident. To her dismay, there was a fresh crack on the screen, likely from her stumble while meeting Delain. She quickly dialed the phone number with ease and waited. The ringing lasted a moment before she heard the click from the other side.

“Hyellow?” the voice came through. Evelyn could hear the whir of wind blowing with the constant rev of an engine on the other side.

“Hey, Ben, it’s Evelyn.”

“Oh, hey Evy, just the person I was waiting on. Are you doing alright? Did you get in?” her brother asked, a hint of concern straining his voice.

“Well, I actually wanted to talk about it in person along with… another issue,” Evelyn responded, her voice wavering as she looked back down at the egg. “Could you come over after your shift is over?”

“You’re going to leave me in suspense like this? That’s so cruel.” There was a momentary pause before he continued his response with some muffled chatter in the background. Benjamin was talking to someone in the car with him, nothing Evelyn could understand. Finally Benjamin responded, “My shift is going to run a little late, probably deep into the morning, but I can come over when I’m able to.”

“Thank you, I’ll explain everything when you get here,” Evelyn said.

“Before you go, I thought you’d find this interesting. We had a dragon rider come by the station tonight.” Evelyn froze at Benjamin’s statement, her stomach twisting. What had Oliver told the guards? Would he give a detailed description of the events? “I would have tried to get him to come meet you thinking he could show you his dragon. However his dragon wasn’t there and he seemed moody and in a rush.”

“O-oh, that’s cool. Why were they there?” Evelyn mustered up as a response, resisting the urge to add her own choice words to Oliver’s description.

“He requested extra patrols around the forest, something about a leak or something? He didn’t give many details on the reason. So if you go into the forest like I know you love to, don’t be surprised if you come across some guards.”

“Thanks for the warning.” Evelyn tried to sound surprised, feeling her lack of acting skills show.

“Alright, well I have to go. I’ll see you in the morning. Sleep well, Evy.”

“Good night, Ben.” Evelyn hung up and took a deep breath. She lifted herself up and walked to the barn entrance, reaching to slide the door open. As her hand gripped the handle, a weird, tingling sensation in her chest made her hesitate. Something in her heart was tugging her away from the door, a feeling of loneliness and unease. However, it was not her own feelings. She looked back at the egg, still sitting comfortably on the stack of hay, a small glimmer shining at Evelyn from the smooth shell as a small beam of moonlight shone through a crack in the ceiling. Something was trying to persuade Evelyn to stay in the barn with the egg. Perhaps the egg itself was asking her to stay? No, that would be silly… right?

Her stomach churned with guilt as she thought about going to her warm, comfortable bed and leaving the poor, cold egg alone all night.

“Fine, I guess one night won’t hurt.” She turned back and laid next to the egg, putting an arm around its base to share her warmth. The pang in her heart turned to reassuring comfort as she felt a pulse of heat radiate from the egg. Despite the foul smell of her surroundings and the cold, hard ground, Evelyn felt a sense of unexpected ease and comfort of her own. Cuddled closely with the egg, she closed her eyes and drifted softly into a deep slumber.

Evelyn opened the door, greeting her brother with a smile. His uniform was as impeccably neat and clean as when they met the day before, though his eyes showed a rough, long night weighed down on him. Benjamin tried to hide that tiredness with a smirk.

“Looks like you slept well,” he said, entering the home as the door behind him closed. “Is Dad home?”

Evelyn shook her head. Fortunately she woke up in time to see him off in the morning, easing his worry at her absence the night before. She lied, telling him she snuck into her room after he had already fallen asleep, which he accepted. “No, he left just before you got here. Something about a rare interview with the Mayor.”

“Bummer. Anyway, no more leaving me hanging. Did you get in?”

“Well… yes, I got accepted. But—” Evelyn was cut off by Benjamin’s cheer, his arms wrapping around her core, pinning her arms to her side as he picked her up and spun her around. She felt as though her ribs were going to crack with how tightly he hugged her.

“I knew you had nothing to be worried about,” he said as he finally put her down after a full rotation. “How did Dad react?”

“Exactly how you think he’d react.”

“Unenthused?”

Evelyn nodded in response, pursing her lips. Her eyes drifted in the direction of the barn, thoughts of the right explanation for Benjamin and her current predicament raced through her mind, the right words escaping her.

“You don’t seem as excited as I thought you’d be.” Benjamin seemed to notice her distracted expression, causing Evelyn to dart her eyes back to her brother. “Is everything alright?”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

She took a deep breath and decided on a course of action. “You know those other ‘issues’ I told you about? Well, I think it’s best if I showed you.”

Benjamin raised an eyebrow as Evelyn turned to go outside and toward the barn. She cracked the door open, making sure the egg was not visible from the doorway like she planned, covering him in hay just in case. The door slid open with a creek and the siblings walked inside.

“So, there’s an issue with Runner’s barn?” Benjamin asked, looking around for any flaws with the building, of which there were many.

Evelyn shook her head. “No, well yes but that’s not relevant. Just promise me you won’t freak out.” She started to brush the hay off and stepped aside, revealing Delain’s egg. “I… rescued a dragon egg.” Benjamin stood, stunned into silence, his mouth agape and arms limp by his side. The silence dragged on for a moment, concerning Evelyn. She opened her mouth to say something, but was cut short by the sudden laughter from Benjamin, going from a low chuckle to a full belly laugh. Evelyn frowned, her eyebrows furrowed, waiting with her arms crossed for Benjamin to settle down.

Between laughs, Benjamin finally managed to put words together. “Good one, oh that’s a good one, Evy. You- put a lot of effort into that one.” He chuckled and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. “You had me there for a second; did you and Mom plan this? I bet she’s in on it, too.” Evelyn’s expression didn’t change, but a bit of worry started to creep up in the back of her mind. Is he really not going to take her seriously? Evelyn’s demeanor seemed to flip a switch in Benjamin’s mind as his smile faded back into a frown of disbelief. “Wait… you’re serious, aren’t you?”

Evelyn nodded. “Yes, this is a real dragon egg. His mother gave him to me to keep safe.”

“Its mother? So you met a dragon?!” Benjamin’s voice raised with every word, concern seeded deep in his words.

She put her arms out and motioned to stay quiet. “Please, I asked you not to freak out.”

“How can I not? Do you know how illegal this is? You’re going to get in so much trouble!” Benjamin stopped for a moment, took a deep breath before continuing, “Explain everything that led you to bring this thing here.”

Evelyn explained everything as quickly as she could, recalling the scene of Delain crashing and meeting her, up to listening to what Oliver and the other rider did to the poor dragon. Benjamin was pacing around at that point, pinching the bridge of his nose and grumbling to himself.

“So let me get this straight, you approached this dragon, convinced it not to kill you and it just gave you its egg?” Before Evelyn could answer, Benjamin continued, “And then you heard Captain Oliver torture and kill this dragon? I’m sorry, Evy. None of this makes sense.”

“So you don’t believe me?” Evelyn whined.

“It’s not that I don’t believe everything; there’s obviously an egg here. But maybe you misheard what was going on. You said there were no remains, right? Maybe they just knocked her out and took her away. I just can’t see a dragon rider mercilessly killing a dragon like that. Not just that, there’s no way you actually spoke with the dragon. Only riders can do that so it must’ve just been in your head. Maybe you took a bump when you fell?”

“I know what I heard, Ben. Delain entrusted me with her child and I intend to honor that trust.”

Benjamin groaned and continued to pace, clearly lost in thought. “Let me see that pendant you showed the dragon,” he asked, holding out his hand. Evelyn placed it in his palm, allowing him to study the dragon and ichneumon inscription, a puzzled look distorting his face.

“Anything you’ve seen before?” she asked.

“No, but that is clearly an ichneumon, so it can’t be anything good. This makes a lot of alarm bells go off in my head.” He placed the pendant in his pocket and looked sternly at his little sister. “Evy, you must turn this egg in to the riders.”

With muscles tensing, her blood felt hot in her body. “No, that is not an option!”

“Evelyn, you don’t understand. If you get caught with this thing, you could be jailed for life. Or worse, executed. I’m not going to sit here and watch you get hurt over this. You have too much to lose,” Benjamin explained, reaching out his hand. “If you just say you found it and immediately turn it in, you could be spared. Heck, you could be honored by the Dragon Corp for this.”

Evelyn took a step back, sticking out a protective arm across the egg, causing Benjamin to flinch. “Delain trusted me. I am NOT denying her dying wish.” They stared at each other as the barn silenced, not even the crickets making a sound. A sense of fear that was not her own panged in her heart. It took every bit of her will not to look back at the egg.

After another moment of silence, Benjamin finally broke and let out a long groan of disapproval, burying his face in his hands. He turned around and scratched his head furiously, ruffling his already disheveled hair. Evelyn could see his chest expanding before he let out a long, exasperated sigh. “Do you even know how to treat a dragon egg, let alone raise a dragon?”

“I…” Evelyn hesitated, of course she had no clue. “Not exactly, Mom’s books don’t go into enough detail. But I have to try. And I would like your help.”

“Fine, I’ll help,” Benjamin started. “I still think you should turn it in, but I’m not going to stop you if you really think this is the right thing to do.”

Her body eased and she allowed herself to look back at the egg, giving him a soft smile. It almost looked like the egg glowed brightly with relief, warming her heart.

“Here’s what we should do, you should go through Mom’s books and find out everything you can on dragon eggs. There has to be some information on them somewhere you missed,” Benjamin instructed, giving the egg a cold, stern glance. “I will look into whatever this pendant is. If you actually did hear from that dragon, it was obviously looking for these people for a reason. If we can find them, maybe we can relieve you of this burden.”

She twitched at that last statement. Despite the very short time with him, the thought of giving him up felt wrong, like rehoming a pet, but worse. Beside that, she agreed with Benjamin’s plan, giving him a nod of approval.

“Let’s keep this between us, not even Dad can know.” Benjamin continued, turning to exit the barn. Evelyn hummed in agreement and the two parted ways.

Over the next week, Evelyn did as much research as she could between work and caring for the egg. Meetings with her brother rarely brought anything new as his search was coming up empty. Aside from information about the Great Ichneumon War, which they both knew already, there was nothing about dragons and ichneumons coming together and forming some sort of alliance with humans. Meanwhile, Evelyn found little instruction on caring for a dragon egg, or raising a dragonet. For the most part, she used her knowledge of regular reptilian egg care, which seemed to do enough to keep the egg alive, though worry crept into her mind each day.

After her final day working at the clinic, Evelyn was saying her farewells to her coworkers when she heard a loud screeching sound come from the road. All heads turned to the door as Benjamin came rushing in, bolting to Evelyn. As he approached in full guard uniform, he grabbed her arm and started pulling her to the exit.

”Evy, we need to go now.” Ben looked up and must have noticed the stares he was getting from the rest of the clinic, notably Dr. Mary took a defensive step toward Benjamin. “Sorry, I’m Benjamin, her brother. Nice to meet you all,” he said, making a quick gesture of greeting with his free hand before he started for the door again.

”Ben, what’s going—” Pessimistic thoughts interrupted her, dreading the worst possible scenario, causing her to gasp. “I-is the e—“

”That’s fine,” Benjamin interrupted before Evelyn inadvertently revealed their secret to the clinic. “I’ll explain everything on the way home, but we need to hurry.”

They rushed to Benjamin’s car so a quick wave was all Evelyn could get out to her coworkers, well, now ex-coworkers. As her door slammed shut, the car accelerated rapidly and she barely had time to put on her safety belt. She turned to see Benjamin in a frantic state, the lack of care put into his uniform matching his usual disheveled hair. He watched the road with a cold, focused stare as his brows furrowed.

Her mouth opened to speak, but Benjamin cut in before a word got out. “The riders are going to the house,” he said, a waver in his voice.

Evelyn’s eyes went wide. “W-what? Why?”

”I’m not sure, but the riders did ask about healers, particularly animal healers. I didn’t mention you, but I know some other guards knew about you through me. Luckily, my buddy, Case, tipped me off. He doesn’t know everything, but he’s been helping me out.” As if he could sense Evelyn’s concern, he continued, “We can trust him, but I didn’t mention the egg or your dragon encounter.”

“What do we do?”

Benjamin pondered for a moment. “First thing’s first, we hide the egg. Then let me do the talking when Captain Oliver gets there. Hopefully we get there in time to not be in the barn when they arrive.”

As the car skidded to a halt in front of the family house, the siblings swiftly unbuckled and ran around the house to the barn. Benjamin flung the door open, allowing Evelyn to rush to the egg. He seemed to sense Evelyn’s panic as she felt a pang of fear in her heart. She placed her palm on the shell, stroking it softly to not just reassure the unborn dragonet but herself as well. She looked back to see Benjamin scurrying around the rough interior, his hand on his scalp.

”Maybe we can disguise him as a haystack?” Evelyn suggested.

Benjamin shook his head. “No, that would be too obvious. I’m not sure there is a place to hide it here.”

“There has to be somewhere, we can’t take him back outside.” She joined her brother in the search for a spot to hide the egg, looking in the corners, behind barrels of feed, nothing. Nowhere to safely stow him away. Frustrations spilled out of Evelyn, mixing with her already overwhelming panic. Was she about to be discovered? Certain death awaited her, Benjamin, and Delain’s egg and there was nothing they could do. She called out a curse and without thinking threw her phone across the barn, nearly striking the egg. The air from her lungs briefly vacated as she saw the phone soar past the shell. She stepped toward him, about to apologize when the thud of the phone hitting the ground caught her attention. Instead of hitting dirt like she expected, she heard the echo of plastic hitting wood. The siblings looked at each other, surprise and curiosity plain on Benjamin's face.

They both approached the landing zone, Benjamin kneeling down and brushing the hay away from the area. There was an area of dirt that did not match the rest of the ground, a slight mound formed that would only be visible if someone was looking for it. Removing the dirt revealed a square wooden board, splintered on the jagged edges, a different type of wood from the rest of the barn. Benjamin reached out and knocked on the plank, and just as Evelyn thought, it was hollow underneath. Together, they lifted the wood up and revealed a wide hole in the ground filled with various scrolls and trinkets, all with varying versions of the emblem that adorned the pendant.

Before Evelyn could say anything, many questions racing through her mind, Benjamin pointed to the egg and gestured to the hole. With a nod, she shuffled over and picked up the egg, gently placing it down, dropping some hay with him. The pang of panic did not diminish, there was an addition of claustrophobia.

“Don’t worry, it won’t be for long,” she whispered, petting the shell once more before they recovered the hole. Just as the plank hit the dirt, a knock came from the front of the barn, causing both siblings to jerk up and see the door sliding open.

The father entered, his face a mask of worry. Trailing him was a hulking figure that made Evelyn’s blood run cold. It’s him, she thought. Her heart raced as she realized this towering, muscular man must be the rider she held responsible for Delan’s death.