Tessa’s POV:

  I flopped beside Dad under the heat lamp. “Ugh. I can’t believe how hard it is to catch Aeria or Taureen alone,”

  He opened an eye to regard me. “Why do you want to catch them alone?”

  “To ask questions. It’s weird not knowing what’s going on. Soranto held a few things in front of me, and I have no idea what he wanted me to do with them.”

  His eye closed. “He was probably just checking your reaction to new or strange things. If he tries to teach you any new tricks, he’ll do it in easy stages. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

  I snorted at his lack of concern. Adeline and Maria had met us at Taureen’s home and were in the kitchen with Aeria while Taureen and Soranto were discussing how Soranto could shift his work schedule.

  “If needed, I can free up most of this week,” Soranto told Taureen, as they continued discussing his schedule, “but there’s no way I can reschedule the warship repairs tomorrow.”

  Taureen tilted his head in consideration. “In my opinion, if she wants to go with you, let her go. We’ll just have to send Elder Dairno an update. She may not get any crawler or sicora training, but it will be a new experience, which is just as beneficial.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. I’ll try to sneak away tomorrow morning and see if she misses me, but it won’t hurt if she tags along. The crew won’t mind as long as I get their ship fixed. The recruiters are still selecting my replacement, so Tessa will probably see a couple of docked ships over the next week or so.”

  Mom grinned faintly. “Let me guess, Soranto isn’t getting out of the house tomorrow morning without you?”

  “Nope! It sounds interesting, and it can’t be any more boring than walking through the streets.”

  She chuckled and snuggled a bit closer to Dad, resting her head on his shoulder. He spread his wing over her and nuzzled his cheek against hers. Dirk continued napping, oblivious to the gold and silver cuddlers behind him.

  It felt kind of awkward sitting beside them when they were in this kind of mood. I shifted my weight, pondering my options.

  Maria came out of the kitchen and sat beside Soranto. I was halfway tempted to go play with her, but if Adeline came into the living room and left Aeria alone in the kitchen, she would likely tell me all the good gossip.

  On silent wings, I glided into the kitchen and flew up to a wall perch near the ceiling. Neither woman noticed my stealthy entrance as they prepared dinner.

  “—his sessions with the fighting trainer have been cut back now that he has the basic training.” Adeline frowned. “One of the other trainers isn’t in favor of Soranto becoming a fire lizard handler since he comes from a civilian background and isn’t part of the defense groups.”

  “It’s Tessa’s choice,” Aeria reassured her. “I came from a civilian background too. Have there been any direct comments or pressure?”

  “If anyone objects where I can personally hear them, they will be dealing with me. Like you said, it’s Tessa’s choice, not theirs.” The fierceness in her voice was accented by the faint clicks of her rather sharp-looking knife as it diced up vegetables with ease. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she continued. “Soranto isn’t the type to sit by idly either. It may take a lot to get him mad, but he’s a force to be reckoned with. His skills with melee weapons aren’t the best, but it doesn’t matter how sharp your belt knife is if he hotwires an air purifier into an energy cannon.”

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  Aeria paused to stare at her friend. “He hotwired an air purifier into an energy cannon?”

  “I once asked him what he’d do if we got attacked on this remote planet, and he told me he could turn almost any piece of equipment in the room into a ranged weapon. I was kind of doubtful and asked him to back up his claim with the old air purifier we had just replaced.”

  “I am somehow guessing he managed it…”

  “It was actually quite impressive. It didn’t even take him two full minutes, although he admitted that it would only manage three or four shots before the power relays overheated.” Adeline smirked slightly. “Then he said he’d rip off the cooling cable and throw it at the enemy. If they tried to use it, it would immediately blow up. If they ignored it, it would explode in about thirty seconds anyway.”

  I blinked slowly, not quite understanding the discussion, but it certainly sounded impressive. If Aeria’s silence was anything to go by, it probably was.

  “If anyone tries to dissuade Soranto,” Aeria finally said, “please let us know. The Elders have made it quite clear that it’s the fire lizards who pick their handlers.”

  “That’s probably why I’ve only heard the faintest of murmurs. It isn’t a fight they can win.”

  They fell silent as they finished preparing the food. I curled up on the wall perch, biding my time.

  “I’ll take this tray out,” Adeline said. “Do you need any help with that one?”

  “No, I’m almost finished. I’ll be out in a couple of minutes.”

  Adeline picked up the tray she had been filling and carried it out of the kitchen. Dropping off the perch, I glided down to Aeria’s shoulder.

  “She may not show it,” Aeria quietly murmured, “but you have won her over.”

  Remembering how Soranto had held me against his chest several times, I said, “I think Soranto’s getting attached too.”

  Chuckling, she replied, “I believe he is past the point of just getting attached.”

  “You think so?” My ear tufts perked up.

  “Give it another month or so, and it’ll be hard to separate the two of you.” She picked up her tray. “Ready?”

  I had no idea if she was asking if I was ready for the partnership between a dragonet and handler, or if she was merely inquiring if I was ready to go into the living room.

  “Yes.” I was ready for both.

  Aeria walked into the living room and put the food on the table. The Kymari began putting food on their plates.

  “How did Keegan react to being back on full patrol after so long?” Adeline asked.

  “He hasn’t lost his edge. The fourth ship we checked had a crawler lying dormant in the air vents. They had to send in a robot to locate and remove it.”

  “You didn’t tell me you found a crawler,” Mom grumbled, unhappy that she didn’t get to participate in the action.

  “It was dormant. It didn’t even wake up when they pulled it out. If Tessa goes with Soranto, you’ll get your chance tomorrow.”

  “I have no plans on being left behind,” I informed Dad. “Although, if I don’t see Soranto trying to sneak out, let me know.”

  “I somehow doubt he will get close to the door without you darting after him,” Dad replied, amused with the prospect of watching Soranto try to sneak out.

  “I can’t wait until I get to go on a real patrol,” I said longingly. I was tired of just practicing—I wanted to actually stop some of these evil creatures!

  Mom lifted her head and gazed at me thoughtfully. “The only stipulation was that you had to be six months old. Unless I am adding up the days wrong, that day is only about two weeks from now.”

  I inhaled sharply, which earned me a few glances from the Kymari. Jumping off Aeria’s shoulder, I flew over to the sand tray.

  “Really?” I was practically dancing on the spot, and even Dirk perked his ear tufts up.

  She yawned and lay her head back down. “I believe so. Without access to a calendar or a way to track the days, I lose track of time. I can double-check with Taureen once the company leaves.”

  “I really hope I find a crawler on my first day. Maybe I’ll even find a sicora!”

  “You might. Although, the number of days where no one finds anything far outnumber the ones that do.”

  I ignored her pessimism. I was positive I’d find something.