Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 93267 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93267 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
“Depends. By yourself? About an hour, comfortably. If it’s a group working? Days. Which sometimes happens.” Sora returned to his own seat. “We had a case a good twenty years ago now where one of the dragons got caught in a terrible storm, was hit by lightning, and we all went into emergency mode to save him. Myself, my parents, and three of my cousins did a group working to repair the damaged organs, restore limbs, etc. But it meant we had to keep the diagnostics up for days to make sure he was healing, no blood clots caused trouble, or any of that. In fact, Amaru’s met him.”
Amaru popped upright. “Wait, I have?”
“Ha Na, too. Rashi, the amiable guy who helped lead people out of the caves and into the tent encampment.”
“Oh my god! But he didn’t have anything wrong with him. He flew into town several times for supplies, even.”
Sora smirked. “The Abe do their work properly, you know. But he’s an example of what it sometimes takes to put people back on the mend. It’s not always easy, but it can be done, especially if we have multiple mages all lending strength to the patient.”
Incredible. Truly incredible to think they were able to heal a dragon struck by lightning.
Salem looked Sora dead in the eye. “I want to be you when I grow up.”
Sora just laughed. “Compliment taken, thank you. It’s partially why I’m encouraging Evora to learn, especially since she’s got a good eye for detail. If Evora, Amaru, and you all become the main physicians for the Valerii, I don’t think you’ll even need me to pop over here.”
He might be right, but… “I’m still calling you for advice even after I get caught up.”
“Fine by me. I’ll call on you, too, when my kids get into something. Because let’s face it, they’ll get into something.”
“They’re kids.” Salem sat back in his chair. “That’s their job.”
“They do it too well, some days. Okay, for this meeting, I vote we set up a schedule and a training regime. As we just said, there’s too much to learn all at once. Amaru, you’re still catching up on current tech—”
Amaru gave a defeated sigh, like technology was not only insulting him but also his mother by advancing so quickly.
“—so let’s do this. Salem, walk Amaru through what you do in a surgery. Let him watch videos and such so he can see how the tech operates. Then the two of you can figure out what equipment he can make to work with the magic we’ll teach you. I’ll take you every other day with Evora, teach you the basic potions to treat most ailments, and then gradually advance up to spells. Sound good?”
Really, it was the only reasonable method of attack. “Sounds good to me. Can I have homework?”
“Oh, you’re getting homework,” Sora promised in a tone of doom. “You, Evora, and Amaru.”
Was it wrong Salem was really excited to hear this?
Gregori lifted his head and stared at the door in front of him, releasing a heavy sigh. He’d walked through this door hundreds of times in the past. This certainly wasn’t his first time being called onto the carpet. All of it for stupid shenanigans he’d pulled with his fellow trackers. Just pranks that had gotten a little out of hand.
But this time was different.
He’d lied, kept secrets, and in the end, failed his mate, his clan, and his king.
Just as he lifted his hand to knock, the door swung open and he gasped, barely pulling his hand back in time to keep from hitting Thiago in the nose. Gregori jumped back a step and grimaced.
“Sorry.”
“I take it you’re done lingering outside his door and you’re ready to face the music?”
Of course Thiago knew he’d been lurking outside Rodrigo’s private office. The crafty aide to the king knew everything that went on in the Valerii Clan. He’d been at Rodrigo’s side for as long as Gregori could remember, and he had even served Rodrigo’s father.
Gregori stepped into the office, opening and closing his fists at his sides. The door closed behind him, and he glanced over his shoulder to find Thiago had left him alone.
“Drag your sorry carcass in here, Gregori. I’m not going to bite you,” Rodrigo called out.
With a sigh, Gregori stepped farther into the large room. It was hard to believe this was a dragon king’s office. The walls were a soft, buttery yellow, and instead of weapons on the walls, there were exquisite paintings of ocean scenes. There was the typical large desk and long conference table, but the other furniture was soft and comfortable, with bright pastel fabrics.
It was all a stark difference to the old office the Valerii kings had maintained in Russia, where the dragons had lived in a stone castle and every wall had been covered in weaponry, pelts, or animal heads. But then, when the ice dragons had lived in Russia, the castle had been a place of protection and war. Before the Great Dragon War was launched against the Jaeggi Clan, the dragons had fought the fire dragons of the west for territory. They’d also fought the wind dragons to the south.