Free The Alchemists Academy Book 2: Elemental Explosions by Kailin Gow Page A

hour or so of watching the dragons. “I think they’re getting hungry.”
                Wirt was about to ask what made her say that when he felt something on his foot. He looked down to see one of the smallest dragons chewing on his sneaker, the way a puppy might. Except that puppies generally didn’t come up to his waist.
                “Get off,” Wirt said, and the dragon gave him a hurt look before backing away, letting out a mournful little gout of flame, leaving Wirt feeling a little guilty for the sharpness of his tone.
    Though he felt slightly less guilty when a couple of dragons attempting to race one another to the other end of the cave succeeded in knocking him sprawling and Wirt found himself facing a hungry looking circle of the creatures. “I think you’re right, Alana,” he said. “It’s definitely time for their lunch. At this rate, we’re both going to end up as dragon snacks.”
                “They wouldn’t mean it,” Alana said, moving over to the large sack that Sir Percival had brought with him, which apparently contained enough provisions even for a ravenous horde of baby dragons. “They just don’t know any better.”
                Wirt didn’t point out that it wasn’t a thought that would make them feel much better while they were being eaten. After all, Alana had a point of sorts, and the dragons would probably feel a little better once they’d had a chance to eat properly. Wirt went over to help Alana with the sack and found that it was full of cuts of raw meat. Big cuts, too. There were whole sides of beef in there, as well as other, less identifiable things.
                Together, Wirt and Alana pulled them out of the sack, tossing the meat to the baby dragons, which fell on it with the kind of enthusiasm that suggested they had only just gotten their meal in time. Several of them blew fire on the meat with cross eyed looks of concentration, flame grilling it instantly before gulping it down in big swallows.
                Most of the dragons took a nap after their meal, curling up like cats on the stone floor and letting out little spurts of flame as they snored. A few, however, gathered round Wirt and Alana.
    “Want a story,” one demanded, clinging to human form just long enough to get the words out before looking up at them expectantly as a dragon once again. The others seemed to share the sentiment, because they sat still, waiting. So Alana told them a story, all about a princess who found people delivering spinning wheels to her room at three in the morning, and what her father had done to them as a result. It didn’t take long to recognize Priscilla at the heart of it, but the dragons seemed satisfied. Particularly when Alana started to illustrate the story with illusions. Her one of King Wilford shouting was especially good.
    It wasn’t long before the little dragons curled up and went to sleep with their friends, leaving Wirt and Alana alone in the cave.
    “You’re very good with them,” Wirt said.
    “It’s probably all that practice looking after Priscilla.”
    Wirt nodded. “Have you thought what you’ll do if you don’t… I mean…”
    “If I don’t make the elite class, and so can’t be anyone’s advisor?” Alana shook her head. “That isn’t an option.”
    They sat in silence for a while then. Briefly, Wirt considered opening up and telling Alana about Roland. After all, they were alone here, with the only people likely to overhear young dragons who wouldn’t understand. The trouble was, Wirt suspected Alana wouldn’t understand either. She would say that Wirt had dreamed it, or that he hadn’t seen it properly. It was obvious from the amount of time that she spent around Roland that she liked him.
    Did Wirt owe it to Alana to say something anyway? If she was getting close to the boy, then surely Wirt ought to warn Alana about the kind of person Roland was. Wirt thought about his