Drevass made his way to the center of the room and placed himself between Vulcnor and Thedrill. They kept arguing around him for a moment more before realizing the futility of it and quieting. Drevass waited until he had their full attention, the addressed them.

"If I may intrude into your little feud, may I suggest a solution?" He stared at first one and then the other, daring them to say no. After a long silence he continued. "I have noted that you, Thedrill, said that no dragon mage could guarantee a spell. Tell me, what of a human mage?"

Thedrill looked a bit upset and rather baffled at the idea, but after a long moment he conceded, "Yes, they haven't the power of dragon mages, but human magic is somewhat more stable."

Vulcnor on the other hand looked aghast. "You would allow a human to cast spells upon my eggs?"

"No, he would not, Vulcnor." Serali stepped forward, feeling somewhat annoyed at the prejudice against her adopted race. "Though I've known many a human to care for their children with as much care as any dragon mother. But there are no human mages here in any case. There is only me. I was trained in human magic for several years and I know the spells that would assure the life of your hatchlings."

Vulcnor clicked his teeth nervously, unable to decide between the known uncertainty of dragon magic and the unknown promise of this stranger. Serali stepped toward him and looked him in the eye. "Vulcnor, I would stake not only my life, but the lives of my own future children on this spell. I know fire magic, I trust my knowledge. I know you're afraid of the risk, but I promise, there is no risk here. Trust me."

He nodded once. "I do not know you, but I think you speak truth. Cast your spell. And may the Creator have mercy on us both if it is not as sure as you say."

Thedrill threw Serali an offended glance, but said nothing. After a moment of silence, Drevass spoke. "Now that that has been resolved, are there any other issues to be raised?" He waited for a few moments, but no one spoke. "In that case, let us go and begin the move. Noon is past and sundown approaches."

The dragons all began moving toward the exits in ones and twos, discussing the day's events as they went. Serali turned to Vulcnor as the last of the others left the large chamber. Her voice echoed slightly in the almost empty room. "Where are your eggs?"

"I'll show you, follow me." He led the way through the twisting corridors of dragon stone to a small chamber. Serali had to go into the room on all fours, and even then it was a tight fit. Inside a yellow-green dragon lay curled in a circle around a dozen cream colored eggs. Sitting against one curved wall was a basket. It was the first such thing that Serali had seen among the dragons. The only furnishings in dragon chambers were things carved out of the stone. Bookshelves that were nothing more then alcoves in the walls, beds that were mere dips in the floor. Benches that were ledges. She hadn't thought that dragons made things like baskets.

With a mental shrug, Serali turned her attention to Vulcnor and his mate. Fortunately the chamber was bigger inside than its tiny door suggested, otherwise the three of them would never have fit.

With great care the two of them were placing the eggs in the basket, one by one. After they were secure and a lid fastened on top, Vulcnor turned to Serali. He looked somewhat nervous still. He was risking his most precious possession on the word of a stranger. But she had spoken convincingly, and she was a royal gold. The royal golds had always been true and loyal to their people, even the plains dragons. Surely this strange dragon could be trusted. "They are ready. Cast your spell."

She drew a circle in the sandy floor with one claw, and stood in the center of it. She took a deep breath and relaxed, letting her mind reach a state of balance and calm, and then she summoned the power. She summoned it in much the way a dragon might, calling on raw fire, but then she began to speak. The chant was short, repeated only thrice, but it calmed and bound the fire from a raging inferno to a gentle glow.

She finished the last word, and felt the spell settle into place. "It's done."

"It is?" Vulcnor looked as if he didn't quite believe it.

"Yes. See for yourself." Serali placed one hand on the basket. Vulcnor did likewise. A slight warmth, no more than the warmth of touching a dragon's scaled side, radiated from the basket. "The spell is on the basket, not on the eggs, so do not remove them. I've set the spell to break when any of the eggs are taken out. You can, however, lift the lid to check on them without disrupting the spell."

"And you are certain of this?" asked Vulcnor.

"As certain as I have ever been of anything."

"Thank you."

The sun was low in the sky, casting twisted shadows over the trampled snow as Serali lifted off. Kethro, tagging along as always, launched himself into the air after her and they set off after the rest of the dragon stone dragons, all two hundred of them. They flew south as the sun set, vanishing into the night like the tragic hero of an old ballad.