You know he wont answer, Nerra said. Master Grey rarely said anything about dragons, even though the rumors said that hed seen them, fought them…

Physicker Jarran took off his apron and came over to the living area, sitting down in one of the chairs at the table. It creaked under his bulk.

I may know some things about them, certainly. I have read of them, in the House of Knowledge.

What can you tell me about them? Nerra asked. And about their eggs?

Their eggs? Physicker Jarran said.

How would I know for sure if one were real, for example? Nerra asked.

That is easy, the physicker said. It wouldnt be. Preserved dragon eggs are so rare these days… He spread his hands apart. A real one would be about this big, if I recall the books correctly. It would have veins of red or gold or green running through it. The shell color would reflect the color of the creature within, and… well, the sources say that the egg would be warm of all things.

Nerras breath caught. Every detail fit with that of the egg shed found.

This is a curiously specific thing to ask about, Nerra, Physicker Jarran said. Has someone offered you a cast of a shell? I know that there is a market for such things, and people think they know what to look for. They see a large egg and assume it must be a dragons.

Well, I wanted to know more about dragons generally, Nerra said. The more she could find out, the better. Where do they come from? How do they grow? What do they eat?

Generally, anything they want, Physicker Jarran said, and it took Nerra a moment to realize that it was his idea of a joke. According to the books, dragons are creatures of power. In both the magical and every other sense. Their very beings are conduits for power, letting them soar, and shape that energy into fire or lightning or mist or shadow. They are long lived, each living a thousand years if they do not die in combat, starting to wane only in the years after the dragon moon. They are said to roost among volcanoes and places of fire, the heat of them warming their eggs when they lay them, just before they die.

They lay their eggs immediately before they die? Nerra said.

There is a kind of sense to it, the physicker explained. With creatures so long lived, if they birthed their young earlier, they would soon overrun the world. They would be raising their own competitors. Look at people.

I dont understand, Nerra said.

Dont you? You have seen how families can be complicated. How many times in human history have sons and daughters risen up against their parents, or brothers and sisters gone to war? It is a story as old as time.