Page 36 of Dragon Outcast (Age of Fire 3)

“Wait, who’s that?”

Mamedi lifted her snout from his scale-roots. “Her mate, of course. E’s supposed to leave the father of her children behind when she moves into a new cave?”

“I imagine not.”

“There’s a lesson in generosity for you, nephews!” Mamedi said. “Remember it. Y’don’t often see the like these days. E’be a very special gentle sort. It’s a rare one that doesn’t forge a favor and returns kindness with kindness, Thernie and me saving his life and all.”

Her sister and family cooed and yeeked agreeable noises as they lapped.

The Copper dozed. He’d hunted again, keeping well away from the set of pools Therenadad had called “the swampy bit.”

He wondered if the events in the home cave had been some terrible dream, brought on by exploring the pool, diving, and being injured when he fell into the river. He’d fallen in and out of consciousness often enough, or been half drowned when pulled by undertow. Could all the detail—the dwarves with their faint-glowing beards and the big man with the glowing spear—be the product of frightful, dying-hatchling dreams?

He told himself his family was alive and well. Not missing him a bit, of course, but such was his lot as an odd male—what had Father called him? Outcast. They were probably gathered around Mother on the egg shelf now, feasting on some thick-muscled oxen brought back by Father, and Jizara was singing after the feast.

“M’excuse, sir. Sir?” Thernadad said, climbing down the cave wall next to him.

“Yes?”

“The mate an m’talked, and since her sister’s come to stay, we thought one more or less wouldn’t make a difference.” He went into a paroxysm of fur smoothing.

“Why are you telling me?”

“It’s me old mum, sir. E’can’t make it to the surface anymore, or survive the dangers out there besides. Pitiful shape she’s in. If e’could just have a lick or two, e’doesn’t have any appetite at all no more, hardly.”

The Copper saw a half-white bat, small and frail, above.

“Oh, very well. I suppose her sister’s somewhere behind, also starving.”

“Oh, no, no. My brother. A great, well-traveled bat e’is; been down every hole in these mountains. Thousand and one stories. Now e’takes care of old Mum. E’pulled her up, again and again, to the cave roof on the trip so she could drop for another glide. E’perishing with exhaustion, e’is.”

“So he needs some blood down his throat, too.” The Copper felt his griff flutter.

“Sir, don’t be a’taking me wrong,” he said as the tiny old bat crawled down his back. “What you’ve done for us poor hangers more than makes up for your life being saved by quick thinking an’ skill and charity. Wonderful thing, charity. Never know how it a’gets paid back in this life or the next. Here, y’be excusing me, her old teeth, you know.”

Thernadad licked him a couple times, and the Copper felt the nook in his saa go numb. With a quick bite Thernadad opened a cut and the old bat began to lap.

Thernadad wiped the corner of his eyes again and again as he licked a smear of blood from his limbs. “Oh, sir. Me poor old mum. You’ve made me so happy. M’won’t forget this kindness till the day I drop. No, sir.”

“Rich good blood, this dragon,” Thernadad’s mother said.

“Oh, dragon,” a great heavy bat said. He’d shifted to directly above the Copper with surprising stealth. “Haven’t tasted that since I flew the whole way ’round the Lavadome. What a place. Thick with dragons. Not as kind as this one, no, nearly got my wings bit off. Y’be falling into the Nor’flow by accident and get carried all this way, m’lord?”

Thick with dragons? “Tell me more,” the Copper said.

“Glad to, m’lord. It’s only my throat, a’be drying up from the exertions.”

“I suppose I can spare a little more.”

The big bat dropped down to his flank.

“Ooooo, is there a party?” Mamedi said, crawling across the cave roof with her sister and brood behind. A couple more bats seemed to have joined the family.

“E’s flowing nicely,” Thernadad’s mother said. “Great strong young dragon.”

Thernadad’s wide-bodied brother shoved his mother out of the way and pushed his nose in and drank. When he came up for air, he wiped his snout with his wing and dragged himself up the Copper’s neck, where he threw a companionable wing around and gave him a bloody leer. “Dragons a’loving treasure stories. Ever heard of CuTar? How about the great glowing stone of NooMoahk? In old Uldam, it is, like a bit of the sun itself dropped into the earth—”

“I’d rather hear about this Lavadome. Where is it, exactly?”

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