Chapter 21
OUT ON THE STEPS of the shepherd’s house, Nellie stopped to gather her frayed thoughts.
What in all the heavens was she going to do now?
Well—go back to the palace, because there was always one more meal to be cooked—but she couldn’t hide that dragon in her cupboard forever.
A brief flicker of an idea went through her mind: what if, instead of trying to destroy it or hide it, she tried to use it? If the dragon had wanted to attack her, it had plenty of opportunity when it escaped from the box. It hadn’t scratched her like it had scratched Madame Sabine or Lord Verdonck. More than that, the kitten had been trying to play with it. Nellie believed trust without ulterior motive only existed in animals. If a dog could smell evil on another creature, it would bark and growl. If a
