Page 50 of The Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps

I raised my hands to my eyes, taking a steadying breath. Nerves rattled in my chest. It was only a little dragon fire. A small bout of controlled fire. And I wanted this.

I’d asked for this.

I lowered my hands, suddenly feeling ridiculous. I could do this. I could stand here while we tested the chestplate without having a complete meltdown.

“Don’t look at it,” Vaela said, coming to stand next to me. Her arms were suddenly coiling around me, pulling me tight against her chest. I pressed my face to her neck, inhaling pine and leather as a flash of heat and light exploded around us.

The light faded in an instant, and I pulled back, feeling slightly dizzied by the closeness.

Vaela didn’t quite let me go, and for a beat I lingered in her embrace, feeling delightfully warm. Then I saw the small flicker of flame from the corner of my eye. The prototype was on fire.

“It’s burning,” I said.

Vaela released me, turning to the boulder where the chestplate was smoldering and smoking. She rushed over and tossed it onto the ground, stamping the flame out with her foot.

Min hovered over her, cooing and questioning as she sniffed at the prototype.

Vaela attempted to pick it up, hissing as she scalded her hand.

“Careful,” I said. “Or you’ll end up with wounds on both palms.”

Min reached down, picking the chestplate up with her teeth, and carried it over to the porch. I pushed the door of the cottage open, letting the light spill out from inside so we could better examine the results.

“It’s—”

“Not horrible,” I said, sitting down next to the chestplate. I was careful to wrap my sleeve over the end of my hand as I inspected the scales, rubbing burn marks away. “Definitely an improvement on my first try.”

“The scales are singed.”

“But they’re in much better shape than last time and that was using actual dragon fire! I think the fresher scales hold up longer, especially when coated with the burn salve.”

“But once that barrier burns off⁠—”

“The effectiveness of the scales starts to wear down,” I said in agreement. “Which means the armor isn’t doing its job.”

“Right.”

“I think I need to come up with a stronger salve,” I mused, voice thrumming with excitement. “All the scales need is a better coating and I think this could actually work!”

I glanced up, and Vaela was right there. I could feel the heat of her breath against my face, and my eyes dropped to her lips. I wanted to lean forward, to tip into her and never stop. Vaela lifted her hand, cradling my jaw. My heart thumped hard. I shouldn’t want this the way I did. She was a wrangler.

Her thumb brushed my cheek.

Then a series of grating screams cut through the air, the sound zipping up my spine and prickling the hairs at the back of my neck.

No, not screams. Screeching.

Min sprang to attention, her silver scales rippling at the sound, reflecting the candlelight. She growled, dagger-teeth flashing as she looked to the sky.

“The Wretch,” Vaela said, rising to her feet, her mouth dropping open. “It’s here.”

Even with the dim moonlight, the shadow of darkness stretched across the sky, black against navy blue. The trees around the cottage rustled, and the candlelight snuffed out inside as wind whipped around us in a hurricane of a moment. The flap of its wings was a leathery thunderclap.

“It’s enormous,” I said, staggering back from the sight.

“It’s a marked thing now,” Vaela said. She sounded almost sad.

“I don’t think that creature is going to do anything it doesn’t want to do,” I muttered. Even in the dark, the magnitude of the dragon was stunningly terrifying. And it wasn’t alone. Judging by the echoing roars, it traveled with a herd of dragons.