Sorcha's Heart by Debbie Mumford Page B

murmured encouragement across their private link. Etna had claimed her right as Sorcha’s teacher to attend the clutching, but Sorcha, still irritated by Etna’s attempt to keep her from rising, had denied her request.
    Well, then,” said Drysta, “rejoice that you are a dragon now.”
    “ Oh, believe me, I do!” Visions of her beloved Caedyrn flashed through her mind. She would always miss her human life and form, but life as a dragon held excellent compensations.
    “ You’re doing fine. Soon this awkwardness will be behind you and you’ll have the joy of a healthy clutch.”
    “ Oh!” Sorcha cried aloud, making Drysta wince. “Oh, I think one’s coming!”
    “ Quietly, little sister,” laughed Drysta, “use the link. Now, stand up straight. That’s right, elongate your body and let the egg drop.”
    Gods and goddesses! Sorcha’s first egg plopped into Drysta’s waiting claws.
    “ Perfect,” sighed Drysta, laying the egg carefully in the prepared depression beside Caedyrn and Sorcha’s nest.
    “ Thank you for being here,” Sorcha said as she curled back onto the ice. Caedyrn had wanted to stay while Sorcha laid their clutch, but she had turned on him and driven him from their lair with feminine volatility. Only another female, preferably an experienced mother, could guide her through this process.
    Her mind turned again to her own mother. How had Elspeth managed? Deserted by Sorcha’s father, abandoned by her mentor because she refused to give Sorcha up as wizard tradition demanded, shunned by her village because she had neither husband nor master; Sorcha had never fully appreciated her mother’s sacrifice until this moment, when she could gaze upon the promise of her first child. A moment’s melancholy seized her as she realized that, for all Elspeth knew, Sorcha, too, had abandoned her. She resolved to find a way to visit her mother as soon as this clutch was safely hatched.
    The need to drop another egg drove all thought from her mind. She rose up onto her hind legs, blessing the ancient dragon who had carved this spacious lair, and expelled one egg, and then another.
    “ Excellent, little sister,” Drysta crooned. “Three are safely out. A large clutch rarely exceeds seven, and since this is your first, you’re probably nearly finished.”
    “ I don’t feel nearly finished,” Sorcha panted. “I still feel bloated.”
    A bright thread of amusement shimmered across Sorcha’s mind. “I remember. I thought I’d never be done dropping Keeva and her sibs, and yet here I am. You’re doing fine, Sorcha.”
    Sorcha rose, elongated, and felt a fourth egg slide from her body. Relief and exhilaration swept over her. She rode the crest of that wonderful sensation, and wished her human friends could experience such satisfying deliveries.
    Keeva slipped into the lair and approached Drysta. “Can I help?”
    “ Oh, Keeva,” Sorcha sighed. “Thanks so much for loaning me your mom!”
    The young female’s eyes widened as she caught sight of the four gleaming eggs. Pride surged through Sorcha as she stretched high and expelled a fifth into Drysta’s waiting claws. “Very nice,” crooned the matron, placing the new arrival with its sibs. She turned to her daughter. “Inform Caedyrn that he has five eggs so far, and ask his permission to attend the clutch. If he agrees, you can guard her children while Sorcha rests.”
    Sorcha smiled at Keeva’s eager expression as she slithered from the chamber.
    “ I hope you don’t mind,” Drysta said. “She’d hoped to bond and have a clutch of her own — being near your eggs will soothe her.”
    “ Really? I would expect her to want to avoid my eggs. The reminder would be painful for a human.”
    Drysta looked shocked. “Well! How odd. Trust me; every unbonded female in the aerie would consider it an honor to help with your clutch. Keeva will be envied.”
    “ Oh, goddess,” Sorcha breathed as the sixth and final egg slid into Drysta’s