5 The Hatchling

CHAPTER 5

The Hatchling Stefan raced into the great hall. "Hear ye! Hear ye! The time has come!" he shouted. "The dragon egg has begun to hatch!" The royal family dropped everything they were doing and set sail for Crestwood. Again, André brought them to the dragon's egg. Sure enough, the egg had a crack that zigzagged across the middle. "It won't be long," Grom said. Everyone sat and waited. The egg lay very still. A hawk cried overhead. Quails rustled in the underbrush nearby. Wrens warbled in the treetops. Nobody said a word until the egg began to rock. It then wobbled and trembled. The egg rolled around, and then, all at once, the shell broke apart. And there in the center stood a very unsteady, very red baby dragon. "Aaack! Aaack!" it cried, sticking out its red tongue.

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The baby dragon was the size of a kitten. It had the face of a lizard and horns on top of its head. It also had a long pointy tail, batlike wings, and two eyes that glowed like emeralds. The dragon was a stunning shade of crimson fire. "It's extraordinary!" said André. "It's adorable!" cried the queen. "It's magnificent!" said Lucas.

"It's unbelievable!" said the king. "It's a boy!" cried Grom, who swiftly swept the broken eggshells into a leather sack. André lifted the dragon and let him perch on his arm. The hatchling steadied himself with his wings. André offered the dragon some spinach and berries. But

the dragon didn't seem interested. He just wanted to perch.