Page 41 of The Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps

I winced, pulling back from the hard body I’d collided with, an apology on my tongue. As I got a good look at the person, I realized I’d walked right into the domed pauldron that covered an armored shoulder. A kingsguard!

My arm smarted like I’d been punched. I hissed as I clutched it.

“Apologies,” a deep voice boomed as the soldier turned to face me. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Well, neither was I, so I couldn’t really complain.

“I got distracted by these. Do you think they taste as good as they look?”

I glanced at the bakery’s display window where a pile of powdered Danishes had been arranged in the shape of a dragon’s head. “I, uh, haven’t tried one yet. But they seem to sell out every morning.”

The soldier flashed me what was probably quite a disarming smile for most women, two deep dimples appearing in his cheeks. He was a broad man, even broader in his leathers and armor, with his helm tucked under his arm. His hair was loose and blond, curling against his shoulders. But it was his eyes that truly made me pause. I’d become quite familiar with those eyes recently.

Vaela’s eyes.

“You must be Vaela’s brother,” I said. “She mentioned you were in town.”

He blinked at me in surprise, then his face lit up. “Why, yes, in fact. How do you two know each other?”

She turns up on my porch late at night to regale me with her drunk musings, I thought. No, I shouldn’t say that. “We’ve met at the infirmary a few times. I’m a burn nurse there.”

“Ah, I hope she hasn’t been showing up with all manner of injuries.”

I smiled politely. “Mostly just injured tourists.”

Trystan laughed, the lines by his eyes deepening. He was older than Vaela, but not by much, and carried himself with a grace that spoke of palaces and courts. Vaela had a wildness about her. An earthiness. It was as if she’d been made for the mountains. And yet, there was a likeness there that was undeniable. I tilted my head, taking in everything I could. How two people could look so different and yet be so similar… It was perplexing.

I didn’t have a sibling.

I’d always longed for one. Someone who might fill the space my parents had left behind. But that was not to be.

A gloved hand came to hover over my shoulder. “Speaking of injuries. You’re not hurt, are you?” he asked. “It’s not exactly comfortable colliding with a pauldron.”

I shook my head as I backed away slowly. “No. I’m fine. Thank you for your concern. I should be getting back to the infirmary now.”

“Good day.” He dipped his head, turning and carrying on down the street. I hurried in the other direction. No matter how kind Vaela’s brother might seem, I knew it was best not to get too familiar. He still answered to the will of the king.

He’d still look at me and call me a traitor if he ever found out what I was doing.

That was his duty.

Would he say such things about his sister, though? I briefly wondered if Vaela would keep her promise to help me. Perhaps those had only been the drunk ramblings of a wrangler who had gotten too deep into a liquor barrel. Today, she might see sense.

It would be for the best, honestly.

I didn’t want to be the reason her brother slapped shackles onto her wrists. Guilt ate at me as I recalled our conversation from the other night. We hadn’t spoken since.

As I walked, I unwrapped the brown paper from around my breakfast—a bun piled with salted beef and sour cabbage. The smell was divine and my mouth started watering. I’d devoured half of it by the time the infirmary was in sight.

“I’ve never seen a person inhale something quite so quickly. It’s impressive.”

I jumped, choking on a piece of cabbage that caught in the back of my throat. Tears welled in my eyes as I turned around to face Vaela. I tapped my chest, coughing to clear my lungs. “Stars! Announce yourself or something!”

“I should think the ground trembling would be enough,” she said. And right on cue, Min’s giant head curved into sight, coming around to sniff at my breakfast. I’d been so consumed with salted beef I hadn’t even noticed them landing. Giant nostrils quivered, then a forked tongue darted out to taste the air near me. I pulled my breakfast out of reach. One precise flick of that tongue, and she’d take the entire thing.

Min whined as only a dragon could.

“Go on, you,” Vaela said to her, waving her toward the woods. “You’ve had your breakfast already. Leave hers in peace.”