Page 2 of The Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps

“More often than you’d think,” she admitted. “I don’t know what it is about the infirmary that attracts them, but sometimes the little dragons chase the pigeons right down the flue, looking for a quick snack, and stars, does that ever cause problems.” She hummed in amusement. “We’ve had to barricade the fireplace in the past. I’m sure Gunther will tell you all about it when he’s back.”

“He’s not here?” I asked as she climbed a set of worn wooden steps toward the front door of the building. A sign had been nailed above the entry bell:

Opening hours: dawn to dusk. Specializing in dragon burns and midair mishaps. For all apothecary queries, please use the garden gate. In the event of urgent after-hours matters, contact the attending healer at Bowcott Cottage.

I followed Nisse as she pushed through the door with her shoulder. “He went to make a house call just out of town. He left first thing this morning, so I expect he’ll be back by the end of the day.”

“Oh.” I deflated a little. I’d been looking forward to seeing Gunther again. After all, he was the whole reason I was here. I’d missed those twinkling blue eyes and that hug that always felt a little like stepping into the sun after a long winter. Though we exchanged frequent letters, it had been years since I’d seen him in person. I’d started my nursing training with him as a teenager, and during that time he’d become not only my mentor, but like a second father to me.

When I’d decided that I wanted to slow down and take a step back from healing, Gunther had offered me the position as his burn nurse. There was always an influx of tourists in Ember Ridge during the Great Dragon Migration, and he needed an extra set of hands. Despite being the busy season, he’d promised that the work was more laid back than what I had experienced at the Cai’amarian Academy for Dragon Riding. Though I was disappointed not to see him, I understood his absence. Healers were few and far between in these more remote communities, and sometimes travel was necessary.

“Well,” I said. “I suppose I’ll just come back when Gunther’s returned.”

“Nonsense!” Nisse said. She surged toward the middle of the room and dropped her box onto a large exam table. “I’ll show you around and introduce you to the team.”

“No, that’s okay. I wouldn’t want to distract you from your morning tasks.”

“You’re not,” Nisse insisted, reaching out to snag my arm. She looped hers through mine, whirling us around just as a burly guy with locks of curly brown hair kicked the front door open. He had a large sack hoisted onto each shoulder.

“Special delivery,” he said, grinning widely. “I passed the laundry cart on the way through town. We’ve got new sheets for days.”

He tossed the sacks down.

Thump. Thwack.

They landed on the exam table, dangerously close to Nisse’s box.

“My herbs!” she cried.

“Sorry, sorry!” He shoved the sacks onto the floor. His eyes landed on me, seeming to register for the first time that I was new. “Burn nurse?” he asked.

I nodded.

“This is Eden,” Nisse cut in, doing a little wave with her hands as she made the introduction. “And Eden, this is Mathias.”

“Matty is fine,” he said. Then he went straight in for a hug, and my back cracked as he picked me up off the floor. “Good to finally meet you. Gunther’s told us all about his favorite protégée.”

When he placed me back on my feet, I wobbled a bit, my limbs tingling.

“Matty is one of our burntenders,” Nisse explained. “Unofficially, he’s the resident spine aligner.”

“A man of many talents,” he joked.

“And also the muscle,” Nisse whispered, giving Matty an appreciative look.

Muscle was an understatement. He looked like one sharp sneeze would have him busting out of his tunic.

“He comes in handy with the fainters,” Nisse continued. “You’d be surprised how many supposedly tough patients hit the ground when they see a little bit of blood.” She laughed, the sound as light as air. “Actually, maybe you wouldn’t be. I’m sure you’ve seen your fair share of woozy patients at the academy.”

I nodded. For a lot of the trainees at the rider academy, dragon burns came with the territory. But there were always a few that would pale to the color of milkweed at the slightest bit of pain and the smallest speck of blood.

“By the way, Seraphine’s on the roof,” Matty said. “Spotted her when I came in.”

Nisse wiggled her eyebrows, the corner of her mouth twitching. “There was a dragon.”

“Aww,” Matty complained, his face falling. He looked especially young at that moment, and I imagined he’d only recently graduated to being a full burntender. “I missed it again? Was it a big one?”

Nisse must have caught my arched eyebrow because she said, “Some days Matty fancies himself a dragon wrangler.”