Page 107 of Cast By Flames (Dragon's Breath)
Galadon growled.Go away. I will deal with these.
He began stomping toward the two figures who emerged from around the brush. Half the vegetation in the area had been burned away, but plenty remained this close to the river. Galadon snarled and began swinging his claws at the humans.
Before she could decide what to do, she caught sight of a dragon falling through the air. It landed twenty feet from her with a loudthump. She ran toward it, noting the scales were green and its chest rose and fell. Of course, it was still alive. A glance above revealed a shifter flying toward the north to take on another Kandoran. No others were above her. She tried as best she could to monitor the skies since she preferred to avoid getting smooshed by falling bodies.
Rayna ran up with her sword ready. The dragon’s red eyes were open, but it wasn’t trying to rise to its feet. That was good. She walked cautiously up to it, avoiding the beast’s head. It would only take a second to snap its jaws at her with its long neck.
She leaped to stab its side, but inches from the strike, the dragon’s massive tail came around and slammed into her side. Her ribs cracked. Rayna cried out as she was knocked to the ground. Lifting her head, she found herself a mere few feet from the beast’s face.Shit!She scrambled backward, keeping a tightgrip on her sword. The ache in her chest was awful, and her right knee protested, but she had to set aside the pain.
The dragon rumbled a low growl and lifted onto its front legs. She managed to find her feet and stumble back a few more steps. The Kandoran crawled toward her, slow and methodical, as it dragged its rear half behind it. Spinal injury? That was rare for their kind but not impossible.
Taking a chance, she darted toward its back and dashed up its body. It was the best place to be if one wanted to avoid being hit by a tail or bitten. Usually, she still had to put up with them bucking, but this dragon couldn’t do that with its injuries. She straddled the beast and plunged her sword down with all her might. The ribs were closest together in the back. She had to use all her strength to get the blade through the narrow spaces between the bones and toward the heart.
The Kandoran tried to snap at Rayna as she grunted with effort. All she needed to do was keep pushing deeper. Finally, blood began pouring through the opening her sword had created. It was enough that she had to have pierced the heart.
She watched as the dragon’s head dropped. Underneath her, the body slumped and stopped all movement. It was a good thing she didn’t have to cut Kandoran dragon’s heads off like she did the humans. They didn’t know why there was a difference, but they didn’t complain that the dragons were slightly easier. Even their scales became more brittle and softer if the infection remained in them for long.
Rayna pulled her sword back out and stumbled down the dragon. She started to search for more enemies but realized the remaining Kandoran were running or flying west in retreat. A glance to the east revealed a hint of orange on the horizon. Dawn was finally coming.
She spotted Galadon in human form stumbling close to the riverbank. His nude body gave her a glimpse of a strong back, tight rear, and muscled legs. It would have been intriguing if not for the numerous open wounds and smears of blood covering his skin. He stumbled over a tree root and fell to his knees. Her heart twisted as she watched the proud shifter painfully struggle back to his feet. He probably didn’t want her anywhere near him when he was vulnerable like this, but she couldn’t leave him.
Rayna set aside the pain of her own injuries and hurried toward him, hiding her limp as best she could. He didn’t hear her coming until she was half a dozen steps away, and then he stopped moving. His hands clenched into fists.
“Go away,” he said, not looking back at her.
He must have caught her scent despite the blood and death all around them.
She sighed and kept walking. “Let me help.”
“I’m not trusting a slayer to do anything.”
She ignored his protests, slid her arm around his waist, and ducked her head under his left arm. He cursed under his breath, but he didn’t pull away. She did her best to avoid looking at his frontal region. Something had to be wrong for him not to bother drawing clothing from shiggara. Had he tapped out all his magic?
“I’m here, Galadon,” she said in a soothing voice, wishing he would trust her. “And I’m going to help because it’s the right thing to do. You’re not my enemy.”
He grunted, and they began to walk together.
Her knee and ribs were killing her, but he leaned on her enough that she knew his injuries had to be far worse. They stumbled together over the uneven terrain in silence for a while. The nearest bunker had to be at least a mile away, maybe more. In the throes of battle, she’d lost track of her location. She considered calling for her horse, who waited behind the shield. It would be safe for Onyx since the fighting was finished for the day.
Galadon nodded toward the river. “It’s narrow enough that we can cross here.”
“There’s a bunker with a doctor on this side, and my horse could help us.”
“My mother is at the other one,” he said, pausing to suck in a breath when his ankle twisted. “She can heal us better than one of your doctors.”
She really didn’t want to go to the Faegud side. The shifters over there were even less welcoming toward her than the Taugud. Galadon’s clan tolerated Bailey because she’d proven herself and had a shifter child, but she was the only one they liked. Still, she would do this for his sake. He’d absolutely hate it if a fellow shifter had to carry him back, and the alternative was him spending hours limping painfully there when he needed rest.
“Alright, we’ll go to your mother, but I’m calling Onyx. Neither of us can walk for that many miles.”
He sighed and pulled away from her to stand stiffly. “Very well.”
As Rayna used telepathy to summon her mount, Galadon swayed on his feet. He gave her a warning look when she tried to take hold of him again. A couple of shifters flew toward them,but she warned them away. It took about twenty minutes before her black Friesian horse crested a hill, long mane flowing in the morning wind.
Onyx trotted toward them and nuzzled Rayna. “Good boy.”
“Can he get through the river?” Galadon asked.
It was shallower where they planned to cross, but she thought it best to stay off the horse until they reached the other side since they’d add a lot of weight on him. “Yes, horses can swim, but we’ll wait to mount him. It’s hard to tell how deep the water is, and I’d rather not risk any accidents.”
