DRAGONEL by Joyce Frohn, page 3/4
Atarax put his head in through the window and rested it on the couch the Healer kept there for him, watching as the healer diapered the baby. The little thing had soiled itself again. "Is that normal?"
"At this age; yes. Whoever dropped it off must have just fed it. That'll make it much easier to find out who did this."
Atarax shook his head. "I found it when I got back from Stonehenge. I fed it." Best not to say that there had been a clear scent trail, then.
"But you don't have a litter."
"I don't have to." Atarax thought the healer sounded nervous. "What's the matter?"
The healer laid the baby in the empty cradle by the fire and rummaged through a pile of books on the floor. "She didn't drink any blood, did she?"
Atarax nodded. "A little, it always comes before the first milk. Why?"
The healer glanced up from his book. "It's nothing to worry about, just that dragon's blood gives a human the ability to understand all languages of men and beasts." Atarax thought that explained why his mates always told him they had to be careful of even the smallest wound during a fight. It wouldn't do for some knight to be able to understand dragons when they didn't want him to.
"Well, that's no problem. I might take her on as an apprentice. An ability like that shouldn't be wasted. Here's the problem. It was in Quenta's book. He says that drinking dragon's milk can make a human age at the same rate as a dragon."
"Is that bad? How fast do humans age?"
The healer looked up from the book. "Lord Atarax, how old are you? I know you've been Lord of this town since I was a child. You've spoken of your mates and babies but I've never seen any. How long does it take for one of your dragonels to grow up?"
Atarax tried to count his years. "I can't remember how old I am. I'm not very good with numbers. All my mates said that."
The healer smiled. "My mate says that, too."
"A dragonel is one year in the egg. They nurse for three years. You said yours nursed that long. Maybe we age at the same rate."
"How long does it take a dragon to be able to breed?" the healer asked.
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