Page 96 of The Infirmary for Dragon Burns and Midair Mishaps

The baby dragon shifted again, scales taking on a dark, purplish hue as she pawed at Dalton.

“You gonna take care of her?” he asked Vaela.

Vaela shook her head, lips twisting into a smirk. “Stars, no. My dragon wrangling days are over. And that includes baby dragons.” She reached down and scooped the dragon into her arms, then handed it over to Dalton. “She’s yours to look after.”

His eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

“Maybe this was why you could never bond a dragon,” Vaela said, nodding down to the Half Moon. “Maybe she was meant for you.”

Dalton stared down at her in awe, then his eyes darted around, locking on the bushes. “I’m gonna call her… Blackberry.”

The dragon stuck her forked tongue out between tiny, spiked teeth.

“I think she likes it,” I said, grinning at the adoring look on Dalton’s face.

He put Blackberry back on the ground, and she pawed at Min’s giant claws, then tripped over her large toes. Min’s tail thumped the ground, sending a tremor through my bones. She seemed pleased at the new addition, even if Blackberry was still rather small.

“Let’s get this back to the workshop,” I said to Vaela, indicating the bucket of saliva. “Nisse is probably wondering what’s keeping us.”

Vaela took her side of the bucket, I took mine, and we hoisted it up, walking a lot slower now that it was full.

“You think Dalton and Blackberry will bond like you and Min?” I asked as we headed for the infirmary.

“No guarantees,” Vaela said. “But they could both use some looking after. Why not each other?”

When we reached the storeroom, I locked the door behind us, then yanked back on the bucket. Vaela stumbled a bit, glancing over her shoulder. “You okay? Need a break before we go down?”

I nodded and we set the bucket on the floor. I darted to the shelf.

“Thought you needed a break?” Vaela said.

“Not really. There was just something I wanted to give you.” I heaved that secret jar off the shelf, turning and dropping it into Vaela’s hands. She sagged a bit under the weight.

“Stars, Eden. What is this?” She stared down at the jar, mouth open. “Lake Fund?” Her eyes widened. “Wait, are you serious?”

I nodded, hardly containing my glee as I clapped my hands together under my chin. “Everyone agreed to pool the money from our first year of armor sales in order to buy the lake from Cyrus. But we raised the funds a lot quicker than we’d anticipated.” Word of our special, fire-resistant armor was spreading among rider circles, and one chestplate at a time, we were making a difference. Giving riders the protection they deserved. “I suggest taking Seraphine with you to do the negotiations. I think Cyrus is a little bit afraid of her.”

Vaela laughed, blinking hard like she was fighting a wave of tears. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything,” I told her, taking the jar and putting it back on the shelf. I turned and wrapped my arms around her neck. “It’s the least we could all do for Min.”

She shook her head. “You’re incredible, you know that?”

I pressed up on my toes, lips hovering in front of hers. “Okay, you can say that, I suppose.”

“I love you, Eden. More and⁠—”

“—the most,” I finished. And then I kissed her the way I planned to keep kissing her for the rest of our lives.

33

TRYSTAN

Eight-and-a-Half Months Later

“Here you are. One ‘Definitely Not Dragon’ platter, fresh out of the pan,” a sultry voice said, laying a heaving plate of roasted veal, crispy, golden potatoes and mashed peas down in front of me.

“This looks grand, thanks,” I said, stomach rumbling and mouth already watering. After the last several months—surviving the Wretch’s attack on Ember Ridge and transporting a traitor around the country—this was the meal I deserved.