Lisha made his way down the hallway. Luckily for him and every other healer in the palace, the infirmary was pretty empty right now. That meant he had time to check up on his other patients, including the egg Christian had found in the forest.

He didn’t really need to. He’d already checked the egg, and it was perfect. Whoever had hidden it had done a good job and protected the egg. Lisha couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to its parents. No one would abandon an egg like that. If someone didn’t want the child after laying an egg, the clan would have taken care of it. There would have been no need to abandon the egg, especially in a place where they couldn’t be sure it would be found.

So why leave it there? What would have happened if Christian hadn’t stumbled onto it?

Lisha shuddered at the thought. The egg would have eventually hatched, and the baby would have been alone. It would have been near impossible for them to survive, and while Lisha worried that the egg’s parents had tried coming back for it and couldn’t find it, Christian had done the only thing anyone could have done. He couldn’t have left the egg where it was. It would have been too dangerous.

That was why Lisha thought the parents must have left the egg there because they hadn’t had a choice. The Ogorth clan always gave its members a choice, especially about something like this, so Lisha suspected the parents came from another clan.

It was a possibility. So many small clans were disappearing with every attack from the Saganto clan. That clan was killing as many dragons as they could, but some were bound to manage to get away, and once they did, they were on the run. If they couldn’t find a safe place to hide or a new clan, they were on their own, which was dangerous, especially with the Saganto clan still attacking left and right.

Lisha wished there was more he could do, but beyond taking care of any survivor who managed to reach the Ogorth clan, he was helpless. His job was nowhere near as important as the queen’s, and he was glad. He wouldn’t know where to start if he were in her place—or on her throne.

At least the egg was safe. For now, Christian was taking care of it, even though his partner, Ruy, was wary because he didn’t want children any time soon. The fact that they didn’t know who the egg belonged to made the situation even more complicated, but Christian was human. He didn’t care about the different clans. He just cared that the egg had been abandoned and needed someone to take care of it. He probably felt responsible. since he’d been the one to find it.

Hopefully, they’d find where the egg had come from. Even if its parents couldn’t care for it, it could return to its own clan. Until that happened, though, the egg was a member of the Ogorth clan, and Lisha would take care of it.

When he reached Christian’s door, he knocked. Christian was living with Ruy, but during the day, when Ruy was at work, he spent most of his time with his human family. That was where Lisha knew to find him, so he’d expected Christian to be the one to open the door.

Christian grinned as if he was happy to see Lisha.

 Lisha was slightly puzzled because, as far as he was aware, they weren’t friends, even though they were friendly.

“Are you here to check on Humpty Dumpty?” Christian asked.

Lisha frowned. “I’m sorry?”

“The egg.”

“Yes. I’m here for the egg.”

Christian stepped aside to let Lisha in. “It’s fine. Nothing has changed as far as I can see. No cracks or anything.”

“That’s because it’s not yet ready to hatch.”

Christian bobbed his head. “I know, but I’m impatient. I can’t even imagine what it’s like for the parents. Humans just come out of their mother, and they’re here.”

Whereas dragon eggs were laid, then needed more time for the dragon inside the egg to be ready to come into the world. It was the only way Lisha had known for most of his life, but he could understand why Christian was excited and impatient. The dragon world was new to him, and while he’d adapted, it couldn’t be easy. Everything was different here, and Lisha was impressed at how much Christian already looked at home.

Christian guided him toward the couch. Things were changing in the castle, and it was partly because of the humans who now lived here. Before them, most of the clan had spent their time in their dragon form. Even when they were in their human form, it was easier for them to use the furniture they used in their dragon form. Lisha was used to wide, comfortable nests, but this room was set up for the family of humans who lived here. There was no nest in sight. Instead, there was a table with several chairs, and in a corner in front of a TV, couches, armchairs, and a coffee table. The TV was on, showing colorful cartoons.

And on the couch, surrounded by pillows as if Christian was afraid it would topple over, was the egg.

Lisha looked from the egg to the TV. “You do realize the baby is unable to watch this, right?”

Christian rubbed the back of his neck. “I know. It’s just weird to treat it like an object when I know there’s a baby in there.”

Lisha supposed that was better than Christian treating it like it didn’t matter. Even though the egg wasn’t his, he behaved like it was, and it warmed Lisha’s heart.