Hatch (The Dragons Of Laton) Read Online Free

eyes. After he cleaned the eggshells from the Nest he could collect his pay and would be free to join the festivities in the streets.
He was so preoccupied thinking of meat pies and his plans for the day he didn’t notice the candles were still burning. A slight movement caught his eye and startled, he looked up and froze. The knight was still standing beside the Nest and a miserable looking Calis was cowering in the corner. Confused, Ammon looked from Calis to the knight and back again before remembering the knight had vowed to stay until morning.
Calis seemed to suddenly realize this was a potential chance for him to escape. He puffed himself up and strode towards Ammon. Grabbing him by the ear, he dragged him to the side and pointed at the Nest. “It’s about time, ya sloth!” Turning towards the knight he lowered his tone. “Sire, this is the whelp whose charge it was ta tend those eggs. Any loss is his responsibility and I’ll happily punish him severely for ya!”
Stunned, Ammon turned his eyes toward Tirate, but the knight didn’t move. For several long moments they held that pose. Ammon’s head was held back by the keepers grip while Tirate stood unmoving, glaring silently into the Nest. Finally, the he turned away and walked towards the back and stared at the great wooden dragon doors. Calis breathed a sigh of relief, realizing the knight had finally accepted there were no more dragons to be hatched.
Looking at Ammon, he sneered under his breath. “Git in there and clean that mess, and don’t break that rotten egg! I don’t want no stench filling my Nest!” With a cruel push, he shoved Ammon over the side of the Nest.
Without the rope ladder, Ammon had nothing to slow his decent and he half tumbled, half slid on his stomach down the polished sides of the Nest until he skidded to a halt, his face inches away from the small egg that remained. Looking up at the egg, he slowly exhaled. Had he hit the rotten egg with his head it would certainly have burst, and the smell never would have come out of his hair and clothes. Pushing himself up onto his knees, Ammon made the decision not to come back as a tender again. He would start looking for that small farm as soon as the festival was over.
He wrapped his arms carefully around the egg and lifted it very slowly. It felt swollen and ready to burst and he tried not to think about how bad it would smell if it broke. Turning carefully, he started towards the rope ladder and realized it still lay coiled at the top out of reach. From inside the Nest, he was unable to see either Tirate or Calis. Reluctantly, he was about to call out for help when the sound of ripping froze the words on his tongue. In horror he looked down as the top of the eggshell began to split apart. He held his breath. Legend said that nothing was more putrid than a rotted dragon egg, and he resisted the urge to drop it. Instead, he slipped one hand underneath to support the bottom and fervently hoped he could carry it like a bucket without spilling the contents. Again, he started to call out for help when the sound of ripping started again. This time he felt something move inside the leathery shell. The tear opened wide and a small golden claw half the size of his hand pushed out and ripped off the top half of the shell.
Ammon froze in shock. Inside was a tiny, glistening golden dragon curled up in a ball. Its long tail was wrapped tightly around itself and he could clearly see the razor sharp claws on each of its four feet. It wasn’t nearly as big as the other hatchlings he had seen the night before, but other than its small size, it was absolutely perfect. The little head moved and its tiny mouth opened silently, taking in the fresh air for the first time. Slowly and deliberately, it turned its face to look Ammon in the eyes. Ammon was about to shout to the men above. It seemed that the knight would get his dragon after all!
Something made him stop. He wanted to call out, but he