Chapter 6
VAELA
It was a dragon.
That’s what had everyone’s trousers in a twist. And by the sounds of it crashing about outside, it was pissed.
I twisted in my seat, trying to get a look at the situation.
The woman standing next to me opened her mouth and released the most cursed shriek I’d ever heard.
It was like standing too close when a dragon growled, the sound reverberating uncomfortably around my skull.
Then her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she crumpled.
I only just managed to catch her before she hit the ground. “This is why I never go out,” I muttered to Dalton as he swept to the woman’s other side, propping her up. “Remember this. Because once you’re a wrangler, you’ll never know a moment’s peace.”
Dalton grinned, eyes round with excitement. “What do you want me to do?”
I nodded to the semi-conscious woman slumped against him. “Get her somewhere safe. Then start with crowd control.”
I turned back around, passed the rest of my ale across the polished counter to the gaping, gray-haired barmaid.
Not much rattled Ilona. She’d seen her fair share of shenanigans over the years in the form of drunk declarations and unruly patrons.
But right now she stood there with a dishtowel in one hand and a still-wet tankard in the other, shocked into stillness at the sound of the dragon’s roar.
“Might want to close for the evening,” I suggested.
Ilona blinked like my words had unlocked her muscles, snapping into action. “Oi, you lot! Get the hell out. We’re shutting down.”
It was almost comical how quickly the patrons scrambled for whatever exit they could reach—the door, the windows. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them had tried to climb up the flue and out the chimney.
With a sigh, I set off for the courtyard, hoping Min hadn’t wandered too far. Even if she had, she’d likely heard the commotion and was on her way back now to investigate.
“This way!” I heard Dalton call. “Follow me. We will exit in a calm and controlled manner. Sudden movement may trigger the predator response.”
The woman who had slumped against him came around long enough to screech in his ear.
I snorted. He still had a lot to learn. But he’d figure it out. Right now, I needed to reach the courtyard before the dragon out there could reduce it to ash. I shoved my way through the throng of townsfolk fleeing for the exit, finally stepping out onto the cobblestones.
A mess of scorched wood and flame already waited for me. It smelled like a campfire. I wafted a cloud of smoke out of my face, and then I spotted it. The dragon was all black, like a clump of coal, coiled up in the corner of the courtyard, heaving those shuddering breaths.
I grimaced at the sight. Black Spots were a temperamental breed, quick to anger and even quicker to deal out an alarming amount of flame. This one was about as big as they got—the size of a horse, give or take. But that was big enough. I usually went out of my way to avoid them.
Could they be chased off by a bigger dragon? Sure. Did I want to go through that effort when I’d undoubtedly end up singed? Not really.
My eyes flickered over the sheen of purple blood. The Black Spot was wounded behind its left leg where a batch of scales had been pried away by claws. If I had to guess, it had probably gotten into a scuffle with another dragon, which explained why it was so angry.
Thankfully, the patrons who had been using the courtyard had cleared out quickly, rushing off to take refuge in the surrounding woods.
I could hear their murmurs of awe and concern echo from the trees.
I sent a silent prayer to the stars for that because things were probably about to get messy, and I considered my options for dealing with the dragon without doing any more damage to the pub.
The locals would not take kindly to me leveling their favorite drinking establishment.
The Black Spot hissed, a forked tongue flicking out to taste the air as I took a careful step forward. I lifted my hands slowly, showing the dragon that I meant no harm.
My gaze flicked to my bandaged hand. That damn burn nurse was going to lose it when I ruined her hard work again, but what choice did I have? Duty called.
I took another ginger step along the cobbles, studying the dragon, cataloging every twitch. Those black scales shimmered like onyx stone as they shifted along an arched spine, warning me off. But as I drew near, it wasn’t me the dragon was watching.
It was something—someone—else.
“Eden!” a distant voice called from the trees. “Eden, move!”
And then my heart dropped into my stomach. Because there, among the orange flame and coils of smoke, stood the burn nurse. Bile raced up the back of my throat at the sight of her.
“Eden,” I whispered, my voice rough as my heart tried to explode past my ribs.
I waved, trying to get her attention, stepping past a pile of scorched pub menus detailing the special migration menu—fireball meat pie with mash, spicy dragon-roasted fish, and molten chocolate cake.
But she wouldn’t look at me. She stood there like her feet had melted to the cobblestones.
Was she not moving because she was hurt? Concern almost winded me at the thought. I tried to examine her for blood or a break, but all I could see were the whites of her eyes as she stared helplessly at the flames.
“Eden,” I said again, holding my hand out, inching closer. “Come this way. Nice and easy, yeah? No sudden movements.”
Slowly, her gaze drifted in my direction, life coming back to her eyes, but before she could move, the Black Spot growled, rising up on its hind legs.
Curled black claws flashed like daggers.
Eden stumbled back, bumping into a chair, then a table.
A tankard tipped, spilling ale down the side of her skirt.
A spark of flame caught the hem, eating through the material.
She froze again, staring at the curl of fire, unmoving as it licked across the bottom of the clothing.
My heart gave one great lurch, and I knew there was nothing else to be done.
With three bounding steps, I closed the distance between us, grabbing onto her and stomping out the flames.
The material was blackened and frayed under my boots.
But before I could check her over, I heard the sharp, slithering inhale that meant only one thing.
More fire.
I whipped my head around, the blood icing over in my veins as I stared into the black hole of a mouth. It lit with a red spark. There was no time. All I could do was clutch Eden to me, my body curled to shield hers, before I slammed my eyes closed.
But instead of the flame I expected, a gust of wind almost blew us off our feet.
Min dropped into the courtyard, slamming her body down between the Black Spot and us just as that gust of flame let loose.
I felt the flash of heat prickle against my skin, but Min’s body blocked the worst of it, her scales an excellent repellent.
When the Black Spot had spent its breath, Min growled, nipping at the dragon in warning.
She towered over the angry thing, her long silver tail raised like a dagger about to strike.
The Black Spot hissed in response, but it was no match for Min.
Perhaps it realized that, or perhaps its injury had simply gotten the better of it, but with one more menacing hiss, the Black Spot shot into the air.
I exhaled heavily, relief filling me. Until I felt Eden shaking. As I pulled back to look her over, I noted how pale she was in the firelight. She looked… haunted.
A chill zipped down my spine, and I was glad for the warmth that constantly ebbed from Min as she coiled around us. “Are you okay?” I asked Eden, fighting against the desire to pull her close again.
She stared at me, eyes wide, uncertain. Then, as if she’d broken from a dream, she came back to herself and shrugged out of my grip.
“M’fine,” she said, smoothing her blouse with a shaky hand. “Thank you for your help.”
“Min and I can escort you home if needed.”
She shook her head. “I’m staying at Bramble Cottage. It’s not far.”
The place behind the infirmary. I knew it. But the way she was shaking, I wasn’t sure she was going to make her way back there alone.
“Eden!” a voice cried, and suddenly the team from the infirmary surrounded us, talking over each other.
“We need to get any injured back to the infirmary for treatment!”
“We started triaging in the woods!”
“Nothing too serious, but we’ll be a full house tonight.”
As I watched Eden get swept away by her team, I couldn’t help wondering what had rooted her to the spot in the face of such danger.
Min nudged me from behind with her snout. I twisted, placing my hand on her warm scales. “Cut it a little close there, huh?”
She grumbled in response, tilting her head, and it was then that I noticed some of her shimmering scales were damp.
I arched my eyebrow, somewhat amused. “You went swimming in the lake, didn’t you?”
Min made a dismissive sound.
I smirked. “You’re a terrible liar. You know that, right?”