Jillian chuckled, finishing her broth. Charlotte helped her clean up as much as possible and got her settled onto the pillow nest. As she ventured outside, squinting into the too-bright sunlight, her cell phone pinged with all of the text messages and emails she’d missed while underground.

“These satellite phones have some serious reception,” she told Jillian, as she carried water back into the cave.

“Anything interesting?” Jillian asked.

“Just an email from my mom, which contains an ancient recipe for curse removal,” Charlotte said, scrolling with her thumb. “And a reminder from Sonja that you’re not supposed to ask for any news about what’s happening back at the League office when you’re supposed to be resting and recovering. She and Alex have everything covered.”

Jillian pinched her lips together. “She doesn’t know everything about me.”

“There was a P.S. where Sonja said, ‘And tell her, yes, I do know everything about her,’” Charlotte added.

“We’re going to pretend that didn’t happen,” Jillian said, yawning and snuggling into the pillows. “In the interest of avoiding my control issues–we have some time. You can tell me all about your conversation with Leonard the other day.”

Charlotte didn’t look up from her phone. “I think asking me to tell you about a private conversation only proves Sonja’s point about you having control issues.”

“Do you want the eggshell when all this is over?” Jillian asked, brows raised.

“You’re going to blackmail me in front of your baby?” Charlotte gasped, pointing to the egg.

“Fine, can you tell me about the recipe?” Jillian asked. “Or does that violate fairy-patient confidentiality?”

“Nah, that’s not really a thing.” Charlotte scanned the email, frowning at the intricate steps required with relatively common ingredients–besides the dragon’s eggshell. “It doesn’t look like it’s going to be very difficult. I’ll need the shell, moonwater, some quartz, earth that hasn’t seen sunlight in at least nine years...”

Charlotte glanced pointedly at the dirt floor of the cave. “I could probably prepare it while we’re here in the cave, if you don’t mind me splitting my time in the first few days after the baby is hatched.”

“No, it would be great if I could observe the process!” Jillian enthused.

“I’m going to have to put Bael in charge of your rest schedule on your maternity leave, I just know it. Oh, and the potion also requires that I wear a really big diamond tiara while putting it together,” Charlotte asked, pointing to a particularly gaudy crown set jauntily on a golden stature of Horus.

Jillian patted Charlotte’s head. “Nice try.”