Page 57 of Of Flames and Fallacies

Shit, it’s later than I thought. Marge is going to be pissed.I stride through camp, hoping to catch Cole. Groups gather around the tables for breakfast. I don’t know how they have the stomach for it, given two of them were just executed last night.

When I don’t find Cole, I head to the healer’s quadrant, afraid I might not make it to tomorrow if I get on Marge’s bad side. I’ll grab Cole after Marge dismisses me for the day.

“You’re late,” Marge grumbles when I finally push through the door.

“Sorry, I…” I fumble for an excuse as I set my satchel down on the counter, but can’t find one.

She wordlessly hands me a basket. Grabbing her staff, she declares she’ll be showing me where to find various plants, but tomorrow I’m on my own. We exit the healer’s quadrant, then the outpost in silence.

“So…do you always go this far into the forest?” I ask, my gaze wandering to the shadows and thoughts wandering to Daeja.

“No. But this time of year, we might find swamp milkweeds down near the lake.”

“And those are good for…?”

“Reducing vomiting, if you get the right ones.”

We approach the tree line giving way to the expansive lake shimmering in the daylight.

I scan the forest around us. “Daeja? Where are you?”

Daeja yawns.“In the cave.”

Perhaps she was becoming more of a nocturnal creature. “Good, stay there. I’m out here with company.”

“That’s odd,” Marge says, slightly bent over and staring at a spot on the shore.

I saunter over to her to see what she’s looking at, the sand shifting underneath my boots. My mouth goes dry. Deep paw prints score the sand, long talon marks gouging the ground.

“What…is it?” I feign curiosity and ignorance.

She scans the water and trees around us, before shifting her attention to the sky. “Dragons.”

“D—dragons?” I mirror, a genuine fear spiking my voice. But not exactly the reason fearshouldbe coating my voice.

Marge inches closer to the lake’s edge and slams her staff down into the water. Ripples explode from around her staff and dissipate into the depths of the lake.

Perplexed, I watch her with arched eyebrows. “What…are you doing?”

“Checking.”

“Checking what?”

“Shh.” She squints, her gaze flicking back and forth around the water’s perimeter.

But nothing breaks the surface, and nothing stirs. She finally drags her attention to me, her gaze lingering on me, possibly noticing the sweat gathering on my brow.

She taps her staff on my shoulder to herd me away. “We need to leave now.”

“What! Why?”

“Because these…” she motions toward the prints with her staff, “are dragon prints. And they look fresh.”

“What would a dragon be doing out here? Wouldn’t it have been seen by now?”

“Water dragons typically come from the depths of the ocean to rivers and lakes to nest. It’s possible there may be eggs, hatchlings, or a mother nearby. Which means we will need to report it to Cole and have this area heavily monitored.”

At the way my eyes round, she sighs. “Come on, let’s get back. No need to be scared. I’m sure Cole will have a good plan to keep everyone safe.”

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