The trip back to Shadowdale was grueling. The egg was just large and heavy enough to make carrying it awkward. Violet had carried it with both arms around it, hugging it to her chest for a while, but soon her arms burned from the effort and her back ached from the strain. Using one of her daggers, she cut up the tattered cloak and tied it to her back. She had to walk slightly stooped over to keep it balanced and had to constantly adjust it as it slipped, but it was better than the other way.

By the time she reached the inn, she was about to drop from exhaustion. Carl took one look at her and immediately ushered her to a room, promising to get word to Johanne. Gratefully, she lowered the egg from her back and tucked it into the trunk at the foot of the bed. Then she stripped off her muddy clothes and used a cloth to wash the worst of the mud and blood off her exposed skin. The scratches still burned and were hot to the touch, but she was too tired to deal with them. She felt guilty climbing into the clean bed as dirty as she was, but mentally promised to tip Carl generously to make up for it.

The last thing she remember was Nori curling up behind her, purring.

Bright light shining through the window woke her up. She sat up in the bed, disturbing Nori in the process.

"Merow!"

"I'm sorry," she said in a raspy voice. Her throat was dry and scratchy. She needed some water. Pushing the covers back, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Standing, she wobbled dangerously before catching her balance and took an unsteady step towards the door of the room.

It opened before she reached it.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Storm demanded from the opening.

"Thirsty," she croaked.

Storm looked at someone outside in the hall, "Jemma, fetch some water, please."

Leaving the door ajar, Storm stepped into the room and took Violet by the arm, guiding her back to the bed and gently pushed her down onto it. That's when Violet realized she was dressed in a cotton nightdress and there were bandages on her arms where the hag had scratched her.

"How long?" she whispered.

"Three days," Storm said as she pushed her back to lay down. "You were poisoned and running a fever when Carl sent for me."

Three days! She had been out for three days? Johanne and Tamirell must be worried out of their minds. She tried to sit up again, sputtering.

"No," Storm told her firmly, holding her down, "you need to rest now that the fever's broke."

"Tamirell…," she managed to get out.

"Is right downstairs and not going anywhere along with that brother of his. Now lay still."

Jemma came in with a pitcher and cup, setting them down on the vanity. She poured water into the cup and passed it to Storm.

"Should I let the other know she's awake?"

Storm nodded, "yes, but don't let them all stampede up here. She can see one of them at a time."

Violet took a sip of the water with Storm's help and, though she spilled some of it down the front of her gown, she managed to empty the cup. She wanted more, but Storm cautioned her to wait.

"You haven't eaten or drank anything for three days. Let's see how you handle that cup first."

Weak from the little bit of exertion, she lay back and sighed.

"How mad are they?" she asked softly, her voice not so raspy now.

"Mad?" Storm looked confused. "Why would they be mad?"

"Yes," Tamival said from the doorway. "Why would we be mad?" he asked, stepping into the room. "You just wandered off in the middle of a storm knowing there's a hag out there after you. Why would anyone be mad about that?"

"Those scratches are from the hag, aren't they?" his brother asked following him.

"Of course, they're from the hag. Why else would she be poisoned," Osvif snorted as he came in.

"There's a lot of things out there that can poison someone like that," Vorn said, sticking his head in the door.

"Why don't you guys let her tell you what happened before you jump to conclusions," Milya said, looking over Vorn's head.

Storm threw her hands in the air, "did none of you hear 'one at a time'?"

Osvif gave her a winning smile, "Sweetling, we thought it would be better for her to tell her tale just once to the lot of us."

Storm scowled at him, "don't you 'sweetling' me, you randy old goat! You're all going to overwhelm Violet like this."

Violet, laying on the bed looking up at everyone crowded into the room and felt far from overwhelmed. All these people cared about her, one way or another. They were like the family she had lost when her mother and grandmother died.

Storm looked down at her for a moment, contemplatively, before nodding.

"Can you tell us what happened?" she asked.

Behind her the others waiting silently.

"I killed the hag," she grinned.

The room erupted and Storm had to shush them before Violet could continue.

"Why are we just now hearing about the second attack?" Tamival demanded angrily.

"What would you have done if I had?" she demanded. "Stayed here to guard me instead of being at Myth Drannor where you were needed?" She shook her head. "I'm not that important. No, I made the decision not to tell you so you wouldn't get distracted from what was really important, not babysitting me."

Neither brother looked happy at her answer.

"So, what was it?" Osvif changed the subject. "What did the bracelet lead you to?"

"Look in the trunk," she pointed at the foot of the bed.

Tamirell was the closest, so he bent to open it. Gasping, he stepped back quickly. The rest of the room followed suit.

"By my mother's beard!" Vorn was the first to speak. "Goblins with a dragon's egg."

"More than one, by what Violet said," Tamival said.

"That doesn't make it any better," Vorn sputtered.

"No," Storm agreed, "this is bad by any reckoning."

Everyone fell quiet.

Violet broke the silence, "what are we going to do?"

"You" Tamival said, "are not going to do anything. You need to rest and regain your strength."

"We just can't leave it here," she protested.

"Of course not," Osvif assured her. "We will take care of it, don't worry."

Several heads nodded in agreement. Storm frowned.

"No!" Violet said, pushing herself up. "I'm the one that found it. I'm the one that was poisoned getting it. I've proven I can take care of myself and I'm not helpless. I will not be treated like a child anymore. I'm going to be involved in this!"

Storm ducked her head to hide her smile as everyone stood in shocked silence.

"Alright," Tamirell said slowly "we'll give you a few days to recover before we start making plans."

Tamival snorted loudly, "give me that egg and I will take care of it myself!"

His brother blocked his attempt to reach the chest. "No, Violet is right. She should be involved. How would you feel if it were you?"

"If it were me, we wouldn't be here having this argument."

"That's not the point," Tamivall said.

"No, that's exactly the point." He pointed at Violet, "every time she steps out the door, she puts herself in danger and nearly gets killed. I'll be damned if I'm going to let that happen this time!"

"That's not your decision to make," Tamivall snapped.

"He's right," Violet broke into the conversation. "I am not your responsibility."

Tamival stared it her as if he wanted to say something else, then spun away and stomped out of the room. The rest stared after him.

Violet, let herself fall back on the bed.

"I think Violet has had enough excitement for the day," Storm told the others. "Why don't we go downstairs and let her get some rest?"

The group murmured their goodbyes and shuffled out, more subdued than when they entered. Once they were gone, Storm turned to Violet.

"You do need to get some rest."

Feeling shaky, Violet was in no condition to argue. Still, she had to ask, "why is he always like that?"

Storm smiled wryly, "some people struggle when they care about someone. They have an instinct to protect them that can become overbearing."

"Overbearing is putting it mildly," she said softly.

Storm patted her hand, "get some rest. I won't let them do anything without you," she promised.

Violet was asleep before she closed the door behind her.

Violet recovered faster than she expected due to the use of potions to cure her of the poison. Within two days, she back at the hall, seated at a table with the others, planning. Unsure where the dragon eggs had been stolen from, the closest known pair of mated copper dragons was in the southern most region of the Desertmouth mountains. Storm suggested they seek out that mated pair and enlist their aid in returning the egg to its parents.

"Are they likely to help us?" Violet asked, her knowledge of dragons limited.

"Copper dragons are typically good," Tamirell told her, "but a nesting pair will be protective of their lair. That alone makes it risky, but if the pair had their egg stolen, they will be aggressive towards any trespasser. And to ones bearing the egg...," he let the sentence trail off.

"Then why not approach an unmated dragon and ask for their help instead?"

"An unmated dragon wouldn't dare touch an egg," Storm explained. "The mated pair would attack it the moment it entered their territory. "

"Oh."

"We have to do it ourselves, but we need to take precautions to protect ourselves. We cannot rely on the good nature of the dragons in this situation," Tamirell concluded.

"So, we know where we're going," Vorn set his tankard down with a thud. "What's next?"

"We are going to need protection against dragon fear," Milya stated.

"I can take care of that," Storm told them.

"Are you going with us?" Violet asked her.

"No, I have other obligations that I have delayed because of Myth Drannor. They can no longer be ignored. But I will help you as much as I can before I leave."

"Thank you," Tamirell told her. "Anything you can do will help."

"What else?" Vorn asked.

"I have all that enchanted jewelry that I took from the underdark," Violet offered. "I've identified most of it. Some of it is useful."

"I'll help you identify the rest," Storm volunteered.

"And explain some of them?" Violet asked, flushing slightly.

The sorceress smiled, "of course. And we'll go over your spells and discuss which ones you'll need to memorize."

Violet flushed again. It would be nice to have someone knowledgeable helping her instead of her having to figure it out on her own. She had been lucky that she had offensive spells memorized during her fight with Allaysie, but she didn't want to rely on luck. At some point it would run out.

The brothers insisted on waiting a full week before departing to allow Violet time to regain all her strength. Halfway through, Violet resumed her training with Johanne as they watched. At first, she was self-conscious, but after Johanne yelled at her for the third time to pay attention, she managed to focus on the lessons.

Tamirell was impressed by the progress she had made in such a short time and even offered some pointers of his own to her lessons. He even went so far as to spar with her a couple times.

"Not all your opponents will be a large and slow as Johanne," he told her after on session. "At some point, you'll be forced to engage instead of running away."

Storm was true to her word, helping her identify the rest of the jewelry and explaining some of them to her. She also coached Violet on what spells to memorize for different occasions.

"You're going to run into a lot of bandits and monsters in those mountains before you even reach the dragons you seek. The spells you used against the hag were a good choice," she praised.

"But I could only memorize four spells like that," Violet complained. "Wouldn't it be smarter to memorize one or two and be able to use them over and over?"

"First," Storm explained, "it's never a good idea to rely on just one or two kinds of attack. Remember what happened when you hit the hag with fire?"

"That was a fluke," Violet explained. "Remember, I had just dunked her in the water. She was sopping wet."

"Yes, but you're going to encounter creatures that have resistances or even immunity from certain kind of attacks. Some to fire, some to acid, some to lightning. You never know. So, it pays to have a variety on hand."

"Second," she continued, "magic works a lot like a muscle. You might can lift something heavy three or four times, but after that? You start straining and risk hurting yourself or dropping what you're lifting. In the case of magic, you risk burning yourself out or the spell misfiring."

"Oh, I never thought of it like that," Violet told her. "And that's also why, the more you use it the more you can cast? You're making the muscle stronger?"

Storm smiled, "exactly." She was silent for a breath then asked, "have you considered my offer?"

"To be your apprentice?" Violet responded.

Storm nodded.

"I've thought about it a lot."

"And?"

"It's hard to explain," she started slowly. "I had a good life back on earth and wouldn't change it for anything. I loved my mother and grandmother dearly. But I've always felt like there was something missing. Like I was waiting for something more." She took a deep breath and let it out. "I think this is it. What I've been waiting for. I've never felt so alive and part of something amazing as I do when I'm with the others. I think this is where I belong. Not here in Shadowdale necessarily, but here in this world. I don't even miss my old life very much anymore."

There, she had said it out loud. It felt right.

Storm nodded her understanding, "and you want to go out and experience it instead of being trapped here as my apprentice."

"Yes…, I mean, no…, it's not like that," Violet sputtered.

Storm smiled, "I know. And I understand. As my apprentice you would be answerable to me and bound to me for the duration. I think you would feel trapped indeed."

Violet flushed, "I'm sorry."

"Never apologize for doing what is right for you," Storm admonished her. "But I am willing to still be your mentor, should you wish."

Violet smiled. How did she manage to find such amazing people?

"I would be honored."

The morning was cool and bright. The trees had just a touch of color on their leaves marking the turning of the season. The five companions gathered in front of the hall with their horses saddled and loaded. Osvif was the only one missing. He had departed the hall three days ago with the promise to return before they left. Now, it looked as if he was not going to make it.

"Don't worry," Milya assured her. "He knows where we're going. He'll catch up."

Dressed in one of her new outfits, Violet was glad she had bought the lined coat from Shay as well. Though the soft leather pants were warmer and would hold up better than the silk and cotton ones, her tunic was made from a sturdy cotton and wasn't as warm. Her coat was made from a dark blue wool with a matching flannel lining and fitted like a cloak with sleaves. In the chilly morning air, it kept her warm while not limiting her range of motion.

She had three rings on her fingers: the ring of negation that she had worn in the underdark and two rings that she had taken from Aseiohiamenti's workshop. One was a ring that would make it harder to hit her in combat. The other was more interesting. It allowed her to cast unlimited light spells which would ease the drain on her magic if she found herself back in the underdark, but its other property was the one she chose it for. It allowed her to cast lightning balls at an opponent that could do more damage than her lightning spell. It was limited to 6 such attacks but could recharge each day. Violet secretly hoped to get a chance to use.

She also wore an additional necklace, a broach, and an earring. The necklace had seven beads hanging from it that could be thrown to create a fire ball. The broach was a stronger version of her ring of protection. The earring was for good luck; goddess knew she needed that!

She had gifted some of the other jewelry to her companions. Tamirell got the earing of negation and ring of levitation. Tamival took the ring of water walking and animal influence. Vorn got the earring of agility to increase his reaction time. To Milya she gave an earring that would give her better insight and a ring that increased her ability to jump. The half-elf was delighted by the ring and jumped up onto low tree limbs several times trying it out.

Violet tried to give one to Osvif but he refused to take it, saying he didn't need magic baubles.

Each companion also had a charm from Storm that would lessen the impact of dragon fear. She had given them out two nights before at dinner before she left Shadowdale to tend to her unfinished business.

The bag that Violet had purchased for her grimoire was slung across her shoulders, heavy with the weight of the two tomes and an array of carefully wrapped potions Storm and Johanne had provided the group. At her waist hung her two daggers and her forearms were covered by the leather bracers.

Johanne led a sturdy roan gelding into the yard for Violet to ride. She was the only one that didn't have her own mount and was forced to borrow one from the hall. Handing the reins to her, he patted the horse's side.

"Old Bean here may not win any beauty contests or races, but he's a good solid horse."

"Bean?"

"Old Bean," he corrected.

"Old Bean?" Osvif called out, riding into the yard. "Take that nag back to the field where it belongs. I brought a real horse for the lass."

Trailing behind his stallion was a beautiful lightly dappled gray mare. Several hands shorter than his mount, she pranced lightly behind him as if protesting being led. Unlike the roan, she was light boned and graceful. The saddle on her back was just as lovely, made from gray leather the same shade as her darker dappling with matching saddle bags.

Dismounting, Osvif led the horse to her.

"Violet, this is Morning Frost. Frost for short," he said as he held out the reins to her.

Violet took them and stepped up to the lovely animal. Frost watched her carefully with big, dark eyes as she reached out to stroke her on the forehead, exhaling a big breath.

"She likes to be scratched along the jaw and behind the ears."

"So does Vorn," Milya quipped.

"Shush, wench, don't be telling all me secrets for all the world to hear," Vorn shot back.

Ignoring them, Violet rubbed Frost's muscled jaw, smiling as the horse leaned into her hand.

"Is she yours?" she asked Osvif.

"Nope. She's yours," he answered.

"Mine?" she looked up from the horse. "I can't accept such an expensive gift."

"Yes, you can," Osvif told her firmly. "I won't take no for an answer."

Johanne chuckled, "you know what they say: never lead a gift horse to water, but a fool and his horse are soon parted."

The group broke out in laughter.

"I'm pretty sure that's not what they say," Violet giggled.

Johanne winked at her. "Take the horse."

Violet's other companions agreed.

Sighing, she thanked Osvif, making a silent promise to pay him for Frost once she was able to sell all her gems. Mounting the horse without making a fool of herself, Violet turned Frost around to face the others with a big grin on her face. Nori popped into view and landed between the saddle bags before curling up into a ball and promptly going to sleep. Now she was ready to go on an adventure and even if it was dangerous, she couldn't help but feel she was the luckiest girl in the world.