Read Hatch (The Dragons Of Laton) for Free Online

commoners, he knew little about dragons other than they were the mysterious and fierce beasts ridden by the knights that protected the city. He’d never seen one up close before, only from a distance as they flew high overhead. Remembering the size of the eggs in the Nest, it suddenly dawned on him how large they must be when full-grown. Most of the eggs had been big enough that he could have fit inside one himself, which meant the adult dragon that laid those eggs must have been massive!
The dragon hopped off his lap and he felt something roll across the blanket. When he pulled back the folds there were three speckled pheasant eggs. Surprised, he gingerly picked them up. “By the dragons teeth!”
It wasn’t long before he had them boiled over small fire. His stomach growled noisily as he eagerly broke the shells and tossed the hot eggs from hand to hand waiting for them to cool. Popping the first one in his mouth, he offered the second one to the dragon. Its golden neck stretched out and the tiny nose sniffed the egg. With a snort it turned away and curled up beside the fire like it had the night before.
Ammon sniffed. “Well, I’m not be the best cook, but one could hardly mess up boiled eggs. You need to eat something too!” Again, the dragon snorted but otherwise showed no interest, so Ammon gratefully ate all three.
Getting up to refill his cup from the spring, Ammon heard something move in the leaves a few feet away. Before he could even turn his head, a gold streak shot across the grass in front of him. He nearly dropped his cup in surprise when the dragon lifted his head up with a mouse in its jaws. In one quick swallow, it was gone, and the dragon slipped silently back through the tall grass to reclaim its spot by the fire.
Ammon filled his cup and sat down to look at the dragon. “Well, I guess I shouldn’t have to worry too much about feeding you, eh?”
The dragon stretched and yawned.
Ammon shook his head, “As long as you don’t mistake me as your next meal!”
Lifting its head slightly and pinning its ears, the dragon glared at Ammon. They stared at each other for a moment before Ammon shifted uncomfortably. "Okay, I’m sorry!" With an indignant grunt the dragon put its head back down and closed its eyes.
Ammon studied the little golden body curled around the fire. The flames danced across its mirror-like scales making it appear to be a part of the flames. He could easily carry the dragon in one hand which made it difficult to imagine it growing to the size of a small house. How fast did they grow? And more importantly, how much would it eat? Hiding in the woods would be difficult as it was, but once the dragon reached its full size it would be impossible not to be noticed. Although it was unfamiliar to him, he had chosen to go north because it was largely unpopulated. But he knew hunters sometimes would trek deep into the woods for months at a time, and sooner or later the dragon would be seen. He would have to get even further away from the city than he had originally thought. Perhaps he could escape into the snow-covered mountains he could see in the distance.
He picked up the sword and buckled it around his waist as he looked around. A few small hardwood saplings grew sparsely between the scattering of rocks. He picked out an ash tree about three fingers thick that had no branches near the bottom and drew the sword. Holding it awkwardly in front of him he swung it like an axe and to his surprise, the sapling fell easily as the blade slashed through with little resistance. He measured out two sword lengths and cut the top off with another swipe. He slid the sword back into its scabbard and brought the sapling back to camp and began stripping the bark off with his knife.
The fire had died down to coals and the dragon sat very close to the glowing embers with its long tail curled around its feet watching him curiously. Small ears flickered at each sound the knife made as it scraped along the surface