Page 6

My gaze reaches the back of her neck, where her wings should be.

Instead, her membranes are underdeveloped, stretched unevenly between short, stumpy bones.

I glance at Micah. “What’s wrong with her?”

I sink to one knee, wrapping my fingers around one of the cool metal bars for a closer look.

“She was born like this,” he says quietly. “It’s a genetic disorder.”

My brow furrows. “You found her in the wild?”

“Yes.” He nods. “Poor little thing was all alone, far away from her nest. She never would’ve survived.”

My chest tightens.

Of course, I’ve seen dragons before. Flying high above the mountains, circling the cliffs, silhouetted against the evening sky.

But never like this. Never close enough to admire the way the light dances across each ruby scale. Never close enough to smell the faint scent of smoke lingering on every sleepy breath.

“Goddess.” The word escapes before I can stop it. “She’s beautiful.”

Beside me, Micah smiles. “Yes, she is.” He keeps his gaze on the sleeping dragon. “I want to try prosthetic wings.”

I slowly turn to look at him. “That’s why you need my help?”

He nods. “I know it’s ambitious.” His fingers fidget with the cuff of his white coat. “It’s never been done before… but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.”

I study him for a long moment.

Most people would’ve accepted her fate. They would’ve convinced themselves there was nothing to be done—that she was born this way, that the gods had intended for her to perish, and that was the end of it.

But clearly, Micah wasn’t most people.

He’d looked at a helpless, flightless dragon and asked… What if?

I couldn’t tell if he was brilliant… or completely mad.

Maybe both.

“I can’t promise they’ll work,” I say at last.

“I’m not asking you to.”

“And I have no experience building anything like this.”

“No one has,” he says with a small shrug. “But you could be the first.”

I roll my lips between my teeth. “The prosthetics will have to be lightweight enough for her to carry, durable enough to survive daily use, and flexible enough not to rub her scales raw.”

“Yes.”

I huff out a quiet breath. “You’ve already thought this through, haven’t you?”

A subtle smile curls his lips. “A few times.”

Despite myself, I feel the corners of my mouth twitch.

“I suppose…” I glance back at the tiny dragon curled beneath her blankets. “I’m always up for a challenge.”