His voice was rough, but recognizable.
It’s working!
I stumbled through the melting substance and gasped for breath as I urged my spirit to retreat into my body. The intense pull to someplace other made it hard to think, much less keep myself in one piece.
But the moment I touched the cracking egg, everything quieted.
The ground stopped shaking.
My world stopped spinning.
And the shadows underneath my feet hardened into a violet sheen as a tiny snout poked through the tough shell, nudging my fingers.
A dragon the color of sparkling amethyst was born.
And I smiled.
The day was not yet won, but this… this was why I was here.
For those amethyst eyes blinking up into mine full of trust, hope, and not a single shred of corruption in sight.
Welcome to the world, little Dragon Queen.
Let’s get you home.
To be continued in Part IV…