When Eben decides to rob the isolated town nestled deep in the woods, he could never have predicted that he would be forced to atone by serving Adder, the powerful and terrifying gorgon charged with protecting the town of Nǣdre Tor.
However, as Eben...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Adder growls at the intruder. Helia sighs, pinching her nose. "Adder, my love, can you please hold it together until you hear what I'm trying to say?"
Eben rubs the gorgon's arm soothingly. "She's not gonna take it, Adder. She's just going to talk to us..."
The gorgon huffs, eyes narrowing as he clutches the egg defensively. It was morning now, and everyone was gathered in the main chamber to discuss the fate of his egg. His stomach turns uneasily, anxiety brewing like an oncoming storm.
"Daisy tracked down where the egg came from...there was no nest."
"Something happened to it?" Adder asks.
The elder sighs, smoothing out her head covering. "No...there was no sign that there was even one to begin with. Which makes me think that the mother abandoned the egg intentionally."
Relief fills Adder's heart. They wouldn't be taking it from him...
"So what do we do with it?" Eben asks.
Helia takes a deep breath. "I think it would be best to just put it back where it came from."
Adder growls, tensing. "It will die!"
Unbidden, traumatic memories flash to the surface; being cold, lost, alone...he can't let it happen again. He can't!
"Can we find another harpy to take it?" Eben asks.
"Unfortunately, no. From what I understand, most egg-laying creatures will refuse strange eggs, due to nest parasitism..."
"Ah, that is...?"
"When a different species destroys eggs to lay their own in a nest. Instead of hatching baby harpies, the parents will hatch a basilisk or some other creature by accident..."
"So there's nowhere for it to go," Adder growls, "we can't just abandon it!"
"Baby, I know you want to keep it, but this is the least painful path...."
Eben squeezes Adder's hand. "What do you mean?"
"As open as Nǣdre Tor is to non-humans, creatures with such power are still highly feared...if you hatch that egg, it won't find community here. Monsters like that will never be accepted fully."
Adder frowns, teeth clenched. He knows all too well that Helia speaks the truth. "How long until it can fly? Maybe we can keep it until then..."
"I'm not sure. This type of monster is so secretive that we barely know anything about them. They're deadly too, they can compel you with just their voice..."
The gorgon smooths a hand over the speckled shell. "Surely a baby won't be dangerous..."
As he says those words, his heart is struck with pain at how untrue that statement is; he remembers the face of each man, woman, and child he's petrified. Even after being brought back, elven magic cannot undo all the damage that 25 years of petrification does to someone's life...Adder is living proof that even baby monsters could do horrific damage.
