Summerhall

As he gazed at the three dragon eggs radiating warm pulses of energy inside the stone chest, the most pressing task was to find a way to transport them safely back to the Red Keep. Tonight was clearly out of the question, though. Viserys looked down at his paws. He had no way to carry the eggs. He needed another plan.

Over the next few days, Viserys often wandered through the markets of King's Landing after training. He carefully examined the work of various craftsmen.

Eventually, he chose an elderly craftsman renowned for his finely woven wicker baskets. Claiming that he "needed several baskets custom-made for hunting hounds to carry game," he ordered a few in special sizes. "They need to be sturdy."

"As for the size... about this big," Viserys said in a young but unquestionable voice. He gestured to indicate the size of the dragon eggs as he remembered them.

Although the old craftsman was puzzled by such an unusual order, he respectfully accepted the prince's request. Viserys then went to buy a larger chest to store the dragon eggs in later.

The dragon eggs were too important to take any chances, however, so he kept a rat at Varys's side, constantly listening to every visitor's report to see whether anyone brought him news about Viserys.

Meanwhile, he also controlled several rats as they scurried through the Red Keep's secret passages, mapping the sprawling network in his mind and searching for a route that would let him transport the dragon eggs safely to his room.

After all, these passages supposedly connected every room in the Red Keep, and several led directly outside the castle or even out of King's Landing. One example was the passage to the Blackwater Rush that Varys had always used in the original story.

Varys was probably the only person left who knew most of the secret passages well. He had always used them to contact and meet his "Little Birds." Besides, once Viserys knew all the passages, he could escape King's Landing even if something unexpected happened and the coming war broke out early.

After several more days of exploration, Viserys finally had everything arranged. He then controlled three dogs and sent them to the Dragonpit to retrieve the dragon eggs, while rats and stray cats patrolled warily around the stray dogs. Fortunately, nothing went wrong along the way. Viserys guided them to collect the eggs, then enter the Red Keep through the secret route he had planned beforehand.

Viserys stood beside the fireplace and gently shifted aside several loose bricks behind it. An opening just large enough for a dog appeared. The entrance to his bedroom's secret passage was beneath his bed, but the tunnel below had collapsed. Behind the wall at the back of the fireplace, however, he had found a branch passage that was still usable. Better yet, the collapsed tunnel had formed a natural secret storeroom.

When all three dragon eggs had arrived safely, Viserys finally breathed a sigh of relief. He stroked each egg, feeling the warmth of its surface and the pulses of energy within. They were indeed just as he had seen them before, and he was also certain they were not Daenerys's three dragon eggs. That meant House Targaryen might eventually have six dragons.

No, perhaps even more. I seem to have forgotten about Summerhall. He had been so focused on magic and the Dragonpit that he had forgotten his original intention to find an opportunity to visit Summerhall and see whether there were any dragon eggs there.

Now, however, he had a better method. Since his skinchanger ability allowed him to control animals, why not test the limits of its range? After placing the dragon eggs back into the specially made wooden chest, Viserys lifted the bedding to reveal the secret passage entrance underneath. Although the tunnel had collapsed, the space at its entrance was just large enough to hold the chest. He carefully lowered it inside, then put the bedding back in place.

Once he had finished, Viserys closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to extend his consciousness farther afield. He felt his mental power slowly spreading outward like invisible tendrils, passing through the walls of the Red Keep, crossing the streets of King's Landing, and reaching toward Summerhall.

His mental power could only reach about halfway into the Kingswood, however. Beyond that, it could go no farther. During the attempt, though, Viserys sensed a peculiar pulse of energy that seemed familiar.

He focused his consciousness on that spot and realized it was a weirwood. But there are still weirwoods in the Kingswood? Shouldn't they have been cut down long ago? Members of the royal family hunt here all the time.

Still, the tree might have grown within the last hundred years. The continent had been fairly unsettled during that period, so it was understandable that no one had noticed it. Viserys linked his consciousness to the weirwood, making his mental power more concentrated.

Viserys could not see the surrounding area through the tree. That made sense-the Children of the Forest probably had not carved eyes into it. All he needed, though, was to use it as a conduit to strengthen his power.

Viserys continued spreading his consciousness southward, crossing the Kingswood Road that led to Storm's End. Farther south lay the Red Mountains, the natural boundary between the Stormlands, the Reach, and Dorne. The ruins of Summerhall stood at their foot.

As he had when exploring the Dragonpit, Viserys first took control of several animals in the Red Mountains. This time, however, he favored strong diggers. There were plenty of animals to choose from in the mountains, after all. He took control of two wild boars, seven gophers, a shadowcat, and a mountain lion. The last two were intended to escort the dragon eggs. This place was far from King's Landing, and they could hardly follow the main roads the whole way, so the journey was bound to be dangerous. Stray dogs did not inspire much confidence.

He first used his mental power to sense the general area, then had the animals dig. Eventually, beneath a collapsed fireplace, they discovered four dragon eggs that were still reasonably intact. When unearthed, their shells were encased in a layer of stone that wildfire had melted into a liquid. It took considerable effort to gnaw it away bit by bit with the gophers' teeth, and several gophers were put out of commission in the process.

One of the four dragon eggs was inky black, like a starless night. Fine dark-red veins covered its shell, resembling cooled volcanic rock.

One had a dull bronze base color, covered with smoky patches of dark gray, like an ancient bronze artifact weathered by long centuries.

One had a warm copper-yellow base color, with soft swirls of milky white and pale gold.

One was deep red, like congealed blood, with cracks resembling veins of gold across its surface. In the light, it looked like burning embers.

The other three had been crushed by the collapsed buildings. It was a pity, but he had to be content with what he had. While the dragon eggs were being excavated, a pack of stray dogs had already set off for Summerhall under cover of darkness. There were about ten in all, carrying every one of the custom-made baskets as a precaution against mishaps.

The round trip took two weeks before Viserys finally brought the four dragon eggs back to King's Landing. He settled the shadowcat and mountain lion he had brought along under his control in the Kingswood, where they would be handy for future use.