Carlos looked to her, a little big concerned. “Uh… do you need to?” he asked her. “Are you okay?”
“There is a rare breed of dragon with gemstones as their breath power. Anything not able to be mined can be collected from them when they choose to share, or scavenged from a battlefield. Gems are plentiful for us, but not so for most other planets. Hence why we can use them as currency and still have them to trade.”
“Oh, interesting!” carlos said. “I wonder how they do it. Do they consume minerals and other raw elements?”
“Not even the Riders or the royal family are permitted to know the secrets of draconic magic,” Mia replied with a shrug. “I know the breath powers of every breed, but not how they do it, or how nearly all of them can keep from injuring their Rider if the Rider is caught in the blast.”
Carlos was a little disappointed by that answer. “Oh. Well, okay, I guess,” he said. “That’s a shame. But okay.” Darnit – he wanted to know something about magic biology.
“I’d like to know how it works, too,” she gave him a sad little smile and shook her head. “But, they must have their secrets as well as anyone else, no? It is not my place to force that from them.”
“Yeah… I guess not,” he said. “Um, so… kids. What does she like? Uh… what – what’s her name again?”
The Perfect Scientist 