Nobody asked Wren if he wanted the job. The soldiers just pushed the kingdom's last dragon egg into his arms and told him to walk. The queen's order sat folded in his pocket: deliver it to the Cinder Tower, sealed and whole. So down the mountain road he went, the cold egg against his chest. Then, near a sharp bend in the trail, the shell started to warm. It shook in his hands. With a soft, wet snap, a crack split across it.

Wren panicked. If the egg hatched, the queen would blame him. He shoved it into the cold shadow under a boulder, hoping the chill would slow it down. Then he sat and watched, heart pounding, begging the cracking to stop.

Wren left the egg under the boulder and walked away, telling himself it was for the best. But ten steps down the road, a tiny, heartbroken squeak stopped him cold. He turned around and ran back. He could not leave it to die alone.

The egg hatched in his hands as he reached the boulder. A small dragon wriggled free and gripped his thumb tight. Wren smiled, ashamed he had ever thought of leaving. From that moment he swore he would protect it, no matter the cost.