Page 23 of The Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps

“It is,” she agreed. “I was really looking forward to trying their new fireball meat pie. It also means people will be looking for entertainment elsewhere. And that means⁠—”

“Dragons,” I said.

She grimaced. “I’ll increase my patrols around the mountain pass in the meantime. But just so you’re aware, you might have an uptick in visits if the tourists are wandering where they’re not meant to be.”

“Is that why you stopped by?” I wondered. “To give me the heads up?”

She shook her head and gestured to the sky. “Min and I saw the smoke. We were worried and thought we should investigate.”

My stomach plummeted as I turned around. The smoke spiraling out of the chimney was gray, mostly, but if you stared long enough, the odd tint of purple bled through. I winced, then immediately softened my expression. Vaela wasn’t part of the kingsguard, but she was the closest thing to authority in Ember Ridge. Plus, she had a dragon. She could reach the kingsguard outpost rather quickly if she wanted to.

My pulse hammered at the base of my throat. I swallowed down the flutter of panic as I faced her. “That’s just my breakfast.”

“Your breakfast?” she said, suspicion laced into her tone. I watched one dark eyebrow arch up her forehead.

“What?” I said, crossing my arms. “Can a woman not make herself breakfast?”

“That’s a lot of smoke.” She huffed a laugh. “What did you do, torch it?”

My jaw fell in indignation. I snapped it shut, bristling. “I’m an excellent cook.”

“I meant no offense.” Her face said otherwise.

“Much offense taken,” I muttered darkly.

The corner of her mouth curled into a small smile. “Just remind me not to take you up on breakfast any time soon.”

“You’d have to be invited first, so no concerns there.” She smirked, and that irritated me even more. “Since you weren’t invited, feel free to see yourself out.”

Vaela climbed onto the first porch step, cocking her head. “It’s just that the smoke was an unusual color.”

“Looks normal to me,” I lied.

She hummed, eyes flicking to the sky then back to me. “Does it?”

I lifted my shoulder. “I forgot I already had some lavender in the oven. I was toasting it. For the smell. Maybe that’s the color you saw.”

“Right. Sure.”

Her dragon stalked around the edge of the cottage, inhaling, those massive nostrils flaring. She turned one pearly black eye on me, and I could almost hear what she was thinking.

Liar.

Did they know what was currently burning in my oven? I glanced between them, feeling cornered. Vaela’s gaze bored into mine. It was like she was trying to peer right past my skull to the truth.

I threw my hands up. “Don’t you have anything better to do than bother townsfolk with inane questions?”

She glanced at Min, tilting her head. “Do we?” The dragon snorted, a puff of steam leaking from her nostrils. “No, our morning is pretty open.”

I huffed at her response. “Well, I would like to be left to enjoy the quiet, thank you very much.”

“And your breakfast?”

“Yes, my breakfast.”

“I’m sure it will be delicious,” she said, lips twitching. “As charred as it is.”

I curled my hands around my elbows. She was messing with me. Min knew I was lying. Vaela knew I was lying.