Please take a moment to view full size. Thank you! And so it came to pass that on a blustery autumn's eve Anna found herself standing on a sacred elven birthing stone on the edge of a high cliff at the Elven Craig's. True to Lady Larkspur's word, a wicked storm was underway and the dry fall leaves were swirling round Anna. Millicent took cover behind a nearby log where she could watch and stand guard. Ingrid was high in the sky, enjoying a thrilling ride in the wind; she was even joined by a few of her wilder kind. George's birth rite had finally come. It had been nearly six months since his mother had laid her small brood of eggs and left for her ancestral home in the mountains to recover. During that time Anna had been given care of George; it had been her duty to defend his egg. At first the task was simple, keep it warm and keep it safe - in a place where it could not be broken. But like no other animal, Delphinium Dragons became aware in their shells - at about 3 months. And then her job became much more difficult. If she had any hope of bonding with and training such a beast she had to connect with the dragon while it was still in its shell. This meant hours of singing to him, getting him used to the sound of her voice for dragons loved elven rhythmic rhymes. The day before, Anna had noticed small cracks appearing in George's crystal-like shell and he was now chirping loudly to her Dragon songs. So she had taken his egg to Lady Larkspur for advice. The Lady had confirmed that George would hatch the next day. She had consulted her oracle to determine which birth rite spot had been ordained for George. She was most pleased that his was to be the Elven Craig's. This desolate, almost always stormy spot was a perfect place for a mighty dragon to be born. The Gods must have known their elves were in bad need of such a dragon! Lady Larkspur felt the oracle had chosen this spot not only for George, but for Anna. It had been ages since such a naturally gifted warrior had become a Delphinium squire on a quest for knighthood. Then that strange man Simon had appeared just when Anna needed a mentor. Surely the Gods had made their paths cross. Lady Larkspur felt the bond between Anna and George was strong, but one could never tell. Dragons were temperamental beasts, strong ones more so. As she gave Anna secret directions to the Elven Craig's she had assured her that she would cast a spell for a wicked lightning storm on the next day's eve. High winds would aid the birthing ritual. So to ask if Anna was now nervous would be moronic. Her whole life was focused on this moment - the birth of what she prayed would become her winged weapon. But all depended on how well she had sung her dragon songs. It was important for the test of wills to follow that a dragon take quick flight. Hence birthing stones were always high on windswept craigs. If the bonding had gone well, then he could be called back with a well sung song. If not, well then all would be lost; George would simply fly away seeking other wildlings of his own kind. To lose a dragon could easily mean the end of her quest for knighthood. So Anna wasn't just nervous, she was scared, which was rare for her. And standing on the edge of a cliff in the middle of a lighting storm wasn't helping any! But as I said, George's time had come. As Anna picked up his egg for what would be the last time she started singing to him, in a voice as calm as she could muster. She felt his shell slowly start to get hot. Then with a mighty roar and a flap of his wings George fairly burst out in an epic explosion of eternal ether! Anna and Millicent both gasped wide-eyed in amazement as he flew forth. And then what? George was gone! Previous

"Lady Larkspur"