No one was going to look for secrets inside a fracture that seemed to have healed.
That was the theory, at least. And for generations of dragons, it held true. The secret of human magic had been passed on from hoard to hoard, and no one had even considered claiming the small, red bowl that preserved hidden knowledge in the gold lacquer of its cracks.
It was just Maximilliana’s luck that a couple of humans stumbled upon her cave that day. After evolution had left her tiny enough to hide behind the largest gemstone of a giant’s necklace, with a growl that would make about as much of an impression as a cat’s purr, she’d have to watch this disaster unfold in a green tinge and about 58 facets. Because who could believe it would end well if humans got their hands on their own power, when unleashing it was as simple as smashing the bowl to the floor?
To her surprise, that never happened. Slipping into the bag of stolen treasures, Maximilliana was carried along to the museum where they put the tiny bowl on display. They protected it and praised it for its value, but always continued to have the wrong idea about what made this damaged object so incredibly important.
[Image description: Photo of a small, red bowl glued together with gold lacquer, on the surface of a wooden table.]
