After one final push.
Two massive eggs slid out in a rush of fluids, landing in Roxy's waiting arms.
The momentum knocked her flat on her back. She slid a good three feet in the mud, clutching the precious cargo to her chest.
Roxy sat up, wiping slime from her face. She looked down.
One egg was a deep, midnight blue with streaks of silver lightning. The other was a vibrant, shimmering gold. They were perfect.
"Three," Roxy whispered, her chest heaving. "Three dragons."
She scrambled up, her legs shaking, and carried the eggs over to the pile of furs where Mara was guarding the first one. Frozen in place. She placed them together.
The moment the eggs touched, they leaned against each other.
Lyra let out a long, shuddering sigh. Slowly, she shifted back. Bones rearranged, scales retracted, and moments later, Lyra lay on the furs in her human form.
She was naked, pale as a sheet, and trembling violently. But she was alive.
"My babies..." Lyra croaked, reaching out a hand.
