Page 26 of The Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps

“It was,” I confirmed. There was no use in denying it. If Seraphine had seen Vaela, it meant she’d already been bopping about the infirmary, preparing for the day. Hopefully Vaela had been the only thing she’d noticed and not the purple smoke.

“What was she doing here so early?” Seraphine asked lightly.

Not minding her business. I lifted my shoulder. “Just making the rounds, I suppose.”

“Making the rounds out to your cottage?” she said, a wry grin crossing her face.

My next gulp of tea went down hard. “I guess she saw some smoke and was concerned.”

Seraphine wiggled her eyebrows. “I bet she was concerned.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I didn’t know how much she remembered of the silly things she’d said at the pub. But I remembered. She’d told me I was looking for something fulfilling. And then she and Nisse had not so subtly hinted that that fulfilling thing could be Vaela. If only I could tell her that the last thing I needed was a nosy wrangler and her dragon poking around my cottage.

A scream cut across the room.

We both turned to find a kid on the exam table, clutching a jar of salve in his hand, preparing to lob it as Talani, Reo and Matty all closed in.

“We just need to clean your burns,” Matty said calmly.

“C’mon, kid,” Talani said. “Get down. Nice and easy.”

“Don’t touch me!” the kid bellowed.

I sighed, shaking my head and handing Seraphine my empty mug.

* * *

“Were they the last ones?” Reo asked, pulling open the front door of the infirmary for a newly patched-up brother and sister to exit. His dragon tattoo winked from where his forearm rested against the doorframe. He glanced up and down the path outside. “I don’t see anyone else waiting.”

“They’re the last ones I had on the list,” Seraphine said, crossing the names off a piece of parchment on her desk.

“Thank the stars,” Talani murmured. She slumped against the wall, arms crossed, eyelids fluttering closed. “I’m just resting my eyes,” she grunted when Seraphine told her to lie down in the back. “I’ll be good as new in five minutes.”

“Why don’t we call it a day?” I said to the team. “It was a long night before this.” As I glanced around the infirmary, I saw more than one yawn. “We’ll put the after-hours sign out early. If there’s an emergency, I’ll just be down in the cottage.”

“I’m not going to argue,” Reo said, closing the front door. “Feels like I could sleep for a year.”

The door flew open suddenly, and Poppy came rushing through, stumbling into Reo. They both went careening to the floor.

“Ooof!” Reo grunted. “You’re heavier than you look, kid.”

“Sorry!” Poppy squealed, jumping to her feet. She had twigs in her hair and sunflowers poking out of the pockets of her apron.

Matty reached down to help Reo up. “You know what, just leave me down here,” Reo said, yawning. “It’s kinda comfy.”

Matty smirked, latched onto the front of Reo’s leather vest, and hauled him up anyway.

“What’s got you moving in such a hurry?” Nisse asked Poppy.

“Look what I have!” she exclaimed, waving a paper at us as she hopped up on the exam table.

“What is it?” I asked.

“A letter from Gunther!” Poppy smiled widely, and it was clear how fond she was of the old man.

“No way. Give it here,” Matty said, reaching for it. Even Talani opened one eye.

“I’ll read it,” Seraphine said, swiping the paper first. She unfurled the letter, eyes scanning.