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Liga loved cooking. It was her favorite thing to do as a slave and as a hobby. As long as she got to cook, she didn't mind having to do anything else. Chimney? Sure, if she could bake and decorate cookies for some occasion. Dusting? Absolutely, if she could cook some fish with buttery rice and steamed vegetables. Hot, sweaty yard work? Of course, if she was able to make little tea sandwiches for guests.

Of course, she was not able to bargain with her master, but even he liked her cooking. So, sometimes he had a second slave doing all the labor while she cooked. If there were leftovers, Liga would sneak the other slave some extras and snack on them while they gossiped about people. But the second slave would only last for a few days before Liga had to return to hard labor.

Now, it was spring. Flowers were blooming, babies of both human and animal were being born, and parties were being thrown in celebration of a new year. Liga was to put in all her time in fixing the most luxurious feast for the occasion, but she paid for it as well. That was the only part about her hobby she didn't like. If she cooked, it came out of her slave earnings she saved for freedom. The master didn't allow the costs to come out of his own pocket.

Liga was now shopping for her ingredients she'd need to prepare the feast when a man so beautiful came up to her with a dazzling smile. "Good morning, Gorgeous! Can you help me?"

Liga blushed. "Depends on what you need help with?"

The man grinned. "I have a friend who is going to be married soon and need a new chef. This person needs to have great taste and be open minded."

Liga felt her hopes rise. "Will this person get paid?"

The man rolled his eyes. "My dear, if they do well, they would be offered a lifetime guarantee of a job!"

She smiled. Opening her mouth, she went to say yes, then shut it. Hopes dwindling. The man seemed to see her deflation and stepped forward, but she stepped back. Looking down at the enormous pile in her hands, she said, "There is a Woodya down the street who might be interested. Ask her."

She turned away.

"I'm not looking for just anyone, you know?" she heard. She paused. "I need someone with good stamina, someone who can take charge of many people, and who can keep the menu organized during very large events."

She closed her eyes, knowing she'd be the perfect person for the job.

"I need someone who loves food and who would give everyone a new experience every time they took a bite. I need a person who-"

"Does this person have to be rich?" she blurted without thinking. She spun to look the man directly in the face. "Do they need recommendations from other employees?"

The man shrugged. "All they need is an interview with one of their dishes."

She looked around and set her food on a nearby table, then turned back. "Can we do this without it being a big thing?"

The man narrowed his eyes. She felt her heart stop. "Are you-"

"Liga!"

She felt tears spring to her eyes at the sound of her name. "I have to go!"

The man lunged forward, grabbing her arm. "I will be back in one month. Leave this where it can be seen easily from above if you still want the job." He slipped something into the sleeve of her dress then disappeared.

Liga grabbed her ingredients, pushed the tears of despair back, and ran towards home.

Otreg watched the woman walk out of the grocery store with a big fat man who grabbed her roughly by the neck and dragged her away. He was angry, enraged, but he had to go home. Home to his country, Korgenyegia.

He left the store and walked to the forest, sprouted golden wings, then took off into the sky. He didn't want to leave, but Zargis needed him back to talk about a few matters about eggs going missing. Not that this was new. It had been happening for a while now. It was just that a few of the rescued dragons were without their eggs. It didn't matter that they were used for breeding purposes when they were enslaved, a dragon was a dragon. He left the lower land of the humans and went to the safest, most beautiful place he knew.

Meanwhile, Liga was putting away her food when her master entered the kitchen with something large wrapped in a blanket. She paused her work and bowed her head respectfully. "This is not to be cooked, understood?"

She glanced up and nodded.

He stalked over and handed it to her. "You are to keep this close at all times. When you leave the house, you hide it under the floor. If I hear someone has stolen it, I will thrash you."

She took the bundle, nearly dropped it. It was heavy. Looking down, she saw it was a large, green and blue egg. She sucked in a breath. "Are we hatching a bird?"

Her master found a bottle of ale and belched. "Something like that."

Later, she cradled the egg and wrapped it up in her blankets, making sure it was warm. It was beginning to get warm at night, so she didn't mind. She wondered however what bird was so big? So heavy?

As she undressed for bed, she found something in her sleeve. Tugging, she found a golden colored silk scrap. It shimmered in the moonlight. She smiled as she remembered the man who gave it to her. Remembered his offer.

She had one month to decide if she was going to take the offer. One month to figure out how she would escape if she did want the job. Currently, she was broke. Her money all used on the food for the feast. She couldn't just leave. Her master would send out a hunting party, hunt her down, then skin her alive.

It was hopeless…