The Dragon Queen, Rizantona, stirred in her sleep. The deep cave was comfortably warm, opening as it did from the caldera of Mt. Fuji, its tunnels leading deeply into the core of the mountain, where the fires of the earth kept it nice and toasty. It was a perfect place to incubate the egg that held her coming child.

She tucked the egg closer to her belly and dozed. Ryuujin, the Dragon King and the father of that child, was in her favor right now. She permitted him to come and ...