The Egg Liora Made — Every evening, after the gemroots stopped creaking, Liora pressed river clay around a smooth stone and polished it with her sleeve. Read the full story →
Every evening, after the gemroots stopped creaking, Liora pressed river clay around a smooth stone and polished it with her sleeve. She wanted to bring one thing she had made herself to the Crystal Quiet, where dragon elders placed their finest work under the singing gems. Her clay egg looked plain, except for two thumbprints she refused to smooth away.
Until one day, a silver mist slipped from a crack in the cave wall and curled around the egg. Because of that, the clay warmed like bread from an oven, and the crystals answered with tiny bell-notes. Because of that, Liora’s careful shell began to show every pinch, scrape, and brave little mistake she had made. “Don’t hide,” she whispered, holding it tighter.
Until finally, she set the egg beneath the tallest crystal, thumbprints facing out. The elders grew quiet, listening to the handmade hush inside it. Next time you spot those marks on the shell, remember how Liora polished river clay around a smooth stone after the gemroots stopped creaking.
