Page 6 of The Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps

“He shielded himself?” The wrangler nodded. I turned back to the injuries. “Matty, lift his left arm. Carefully.”

Matty did, and sure enough, there along the back of his forearm was another strip of singed flesh. The flame must have caught it as he’d turned away to shield his face.

“Looks like… a first-degree?” Matty said.

I nodded as the man suddenly cried out and bolted upright on the exam table.

Ah, yes, there was the pain I’d been expecting.

He howled louder, the sound making my teeth ache.

“Do you even know what you’re doing?” the wrangler snapped, hovering over my shoulder now.

I turned to scowl at her. I’d been tending burns since I was a little girl. That’s what happened when you spent your childhood in training camps, traipsing after your dragon rider father. “Why don’t you just keep quiet so I can think?”

Her nostrils flared. “Why don’t you⁠—”

“Unless you’re also a burntender,” I said, eyes narrowed, “then get away from my exam table.” Her eyes flashed with something fierce, but I didn’t back down, and she took a deliberate step back. Over her shoulder, I caught sight of those silver scales slithering past the window. A low warning growl echoed.

“My arm’s falling off!” the injured man exclaimed. I turned to him. “I need tending!”

“What do you think we’re trying to do?” Matty said, forcing him to lie down. “Stop wriggling.”

“Nisse, something for the pain!” I called. “Quickly!”

She hurried out with a handful of jars, handing Seraphine a white cloth soaked in something pungent. “Stick this under his nose.”

The man’s eyes widened in horror.

“Inhale,” I ordered. He did. Sharply. Then his eyelids started to droop. “By the time you wake up, we’ll have your wounds all dressed and bandaged.”

“Mmm…” he mumbled.

“Cool herbal compresses,” I said to Nisse, holding my hand out for them as fast as she could prepare them. I cleaned the burns and arranged the compresses. “Matty, clean bandages.” A stack of linen appeared at my side. “Seraphine, can you make up the bed in bay two? This young man is going to be spending some time with us.”

She nodded and rushed off.

“Looks like he’s out,” Matty said, helping me reposition the man so I could dress the wounds along his ribs. All the while, Miss Grump stalked back and forth, watching me work. Her energy pressed in around me like a storm, lingering, heavy. Most of all, annoying. I wanted to kick her out.

But it wasn’t my infirmary.

Where the hell was Gunther when I needed him?

I finished with the wound and left Matty to transfer the man into burn bay two while I washed my hands. When I was done, I turned on my heel to tell the wrangler her services were no longer required. And that’s when I saw a drop of blood hit the floor.

“What is that?” I demanded.

“What?” she grumbled.

“That!” I pointed at the droplet. “You’re bleeding all over the floor.” I surged forward to inspect her hand. A dark stain oozed through a thin layer of cloth. “Let me see.”

“It’s nothing,” she insisted, pulling away. “I got nipped trying to rescue Buddy over there.”

“Let. Me. See.” I reached out, catching her fingers, and it was like a spark shot down my entire arm. I ignored the way the hairs on the back of my neck prickled and the heat that flamed across my chest. “This looks deep.”

“It’s a graze,” she huffed. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Are you the healer?” I said, snarkier than I probably should have been. She huffed. “I didn’t think so.” She stopped fighting long enough for me to unwrap the poorly tied cloth. Blood bubbled from two deep puncture wounds in her hand. “What in stars-name is this?”