Page 44 of The Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps

Talani and Reo dispersed into the crowd with him, trying to wave the perimeter of townsfolk further back. My eyes were on the sky, watching Vaela and Min dart between dragon attacks with practiced efficiency. Min was faster than them all, shooting off and turning directions in the blink of an eye.

She snapped at one of the smaller dragons, and it darted off into the clouds, not wanting to scrap anymore. She twisted through a puff of cloud, headbutting another dragon before shooting off to avoid the flame of one of the larger dragons.

She lived up to her name—Starshot.

“Healer!” someone cried. “We need a healer over here!”

Matty surged in the direction of the voice. I followed after him as the heat of a flame cut too close to the crowd.

I gasped, ducking down, hands over my head.

With my heart in my throat, I looked to the sky. Min was still turning circles around the dragons, but my jaw dropped open as a massive wall of fire raced toward her. Min pulled her wings tight, dropping into a dive. I watched Vaela cling to her scales. She was like a bug, latched onto Min’s back as they torpedoed toward the ground. My pulse hammered.

Min’s wings exploded out at the last second, carrying them away, the wind ruffling my hair. I watched them fly off, Vaela adjusting her grip as she slipped slightly from her place at the base of Min’s neck. There had to be something I could do to help make it easier for her to remain seated.

Another fiery kite dropped from the sky and the crowd shrieked and scattered.

“Eden!” Matty called, waving me over. “We’ve got a superficial burn over here.”

I darted in his direction.

“Move back!” a voice bellowed.

I whipped my head around.

“Kingsguard,” Reo said, coming up behind me. “About time.” He scowled. “If they’re gonna be all over town, they could at least make themselves useful. What do I look like, crowd control?”

“Clear off, you lot!” another soldier cried. He pulled his sword, and a section of the crowd bolted just as one of the smaller dragons came crashing down, skidding into a flower stall selling bouquets of snapdragons, reducing it to rubble. It jumped to its feet, sending planks of wood flying as it snarled.

“Back!” the soldier shouted. “Now! Get away!”

Min landed a moment later, kicking up dirt with her claws. The landing was so hard that Vaela was thrown from her back. She tucked herself at the last second, rolling to a stop in the dust. With a groan, she pressed up on her hands, glancing between Min and the smaller dragon, both of them growling at each other.

“Vaela!” I cried.

She held her hand up, halting me before I could dart across to her. She rose to her feet and adjusted her prosthesis, then she ran up behind Min, diving behind her tail to shield herself from a spiral of flame.

I caught Matty’s attention again. “We need to get the injured back to the infirmary.”

“Use our cart.” I turned, finding Vaela’s brother standing behind me. Trystan lifted his hand, waving their draught horse over.

“Yes, thank you,” I said. That would certainly make transport easier. I spotted Reo and Talani. “Let’s get all the injured loaded up.”

Matty scooped a girl into his arms, springing to his feet like she weighed nothing more than a sack of flour, and carried her to the cart. Reo and Trystan took an elderly man under the arms, dragging him away from the fire. As more of the crowd limped their way to the cart, it filled up quickly. I triaged, organizing the injuries by severity while Talani ran on ahead to prep the infirmary for our arrival.

Min released a massive roar, two coils of black smoke pouring from her nostrils as the smaller dragon snapped its jaw. It was a feisty little nuisance, clearly not eager to back down. It released another spiral of flame. Min caught the blast with her side, protecting the crowd. Vaela scrambled over one of Min’s legs, giving her a pat, then hoisted herself into a sitting position.

Min’s tail flicked out like a whip, knocking the dragon back, baiting it.

“Let’s go!” Vaela cried.

Min shot into the sky. In a fit of rage, the smaller dragon shot off in pursuit, chasing them toward the mountains, and the square was finally quiet.

“Put those fires out!” someone cried.

“Always something during the migration,” an older woman complained. “Can’t even go for a nice cup of tea anymore.”

I glanced back at Matty in time to see him roll his eyes. “Let’s get out of here.”