Page 70 of The Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps

It wasn’t enough to snap the bars, but clearly the Wretch wasn’t as contained as the kingsguard would have us believe. It was like trying to hold water in your hands for any length of time. No matter how tightly you pressed your fingers together, it always managed to slip free… eventually.

“I’ll talk to my brother,” Vaela said, touching my arm to get my attention. Heat prickled beneath my skin. “I will keep you safe.”

“I’m not worried about me,” I said. Which was mostly true. I worried about the children who stared at the dragon with curious eyes, thinking this was nothing more than another fascinating festival decoration. And I worried for the shopkeepers whose livelihoods were inside buildings with thatch roofs.

I even worried for Vaela, who seemed so tiny and vulnerable set against the backdrop of the largest dragon known to this land. There would be no tending the kind of burns the Wretch might cause. There would be nothing left.

23

VAELA

The following morning, there were two crowds gathered in the square. One lined the path to the Wretch’s cage, onlookers gathered for another glimpse of the slumbering beast. The other snaked away from the bakery, hooked across shopfronts, and continued down an entire alleyway.

The bakery was always rammed first thing in the morning, the scent of cardamon buns and fresh sourdough drawing in townsfolk looking to break their fast. But it was even busier during the migration. Everyone wanted to sample the famous dragonfruit-filled Danishes and children clamored for the last dragon egg-shaped cookie, each one decorated with icing scales. As with most mornings, I slipped past the bulk of the line, snuck into the shop, and found my order waiting at the end of the counter.

I grabbed the still-warm rolls, turning to find Eden crossing the shop with an armful of baked goods. “No line for you?” she asked.

I shrugged, giving her a sheepish grin. “Perks of the job,” I said. “Are you making the breakfast run for the infirmary?”

She nodded, blowing a few stray hairs from her eyes. “Ever since Gunther’s gotten back, he’s been craving their pork-crackling buns.”

My hand itched to tuck her hair away from her face, to stare into those brown eyes, but I curled my fingers against my thigh, my nails biting into the skin of my palm to keep from reaching for her. “Good choice,” I said, clearing my throat. “But the real treat is the honey ham and cheese roll. It’s that sweet and savory combination that makes it perfect for the first meal of the day.”

“I haven’t tried that one yet.” She laughed softly. “There’s always too much to choose from when I get to the front of the line, and I panic.”

I quickly unwrapped my roll from the brown paper it had been tucked into and held it out to her. “Go on.”

“Oh, no. That’s okay.”

“I insist.” I urged her to take a bite. “Trust me, it’ll change your life.”

Eden shot me a tiny grin, giving in to my insistence. “All right, then.” She opened her mouth and took a generous bite, chewing thoughtfully. After a beat, her eyes widened. “Stars!”

“I know.” I took my own bite, humming in appreciation. “It’s the cheese they get from Briar Hollow. It takes one year to age. Keep it between us, though. I’ll be devastated if they start to sell out.”

She shook her head. “I’m about to get the entire infirmary hooked on these.”

“Traitor,” I whispered.

She grinned, then caught herself, her face growing serious. “Did you, um”—she wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand—“have a chance to talk to your brother?”

“Not yet, but I was headed over there next.”

“Hopefully they’ve already decided to move on,” she said. “Lingering this close to any sizable population feels like a dangerous idea.”

“I’m sure they’re taking precautions,” I said.

She didn’t look convinced. “I don’t know what kind of precautions are enough for that dragon.” She glanced down at the goods in her arms. “I’d better finish sorting breakfast. I’ll let you go.”

“Right.” I didn’t want to go. I wanted to stand there and share my breakfast and watch her face brighten with delight. But that was a dream, so I nodded and forced myself in the direction of the door. I took one more fleeting glance as I exited, then pushed Eden and my complicated feelings into a box in the back of my mind.

Lock them away.

I needed to tie everything up with unbreakable chains and cage them behind bars that even I didn’t know how to open. I stuffed half a roll in my mouth as I stalked miserably across the square, making my way further along the path to where the kingsguard had stationed themselves.

The Wretch’s cage was being held further away, but the soldiers had erected a tent overnight to serve as their temporary quarters. Eden had hoped they’d be moving on, but this didn’t feel like they were getting ready to leave anytime soon. If anything, it felt like they were putting down roots.

The sigil of the king flew from the roof on two triangular-shaped flags, that yawning dragon’s head spitting blue fire. And that was perhaps most telling of all.