Page 115 of Cast By Flames (Dragon's Breath)
He hurried over to her. “Hand those out. I’ll go down and get more. We need to start a chain so we can get them to folks outside.”
She nodded.
Conrad raced through the supply room, finding the guys in there already moving mask bags from the tunnel and piling them into the room. He grabbed as many as he could and dashed from the bunker. Finding the nearest soldiers, he handed them over and told them to form a line. Word had spread of the incoming fog. A glance at the dark horizon revealed it had come closer and was maybe a few hundred meters away. They were almost out of time.
It only took seconds for the trained soldiers to don their masks. They worked with Conrad to start handing them out, and as each person got theirs on, they joined the line or helped others who struggled with theirs. When the fog was only a hundred feet away, they’d equipped everyone within sight, plus those who’d run up to them from more distant points.
He could only hope there weren’t more out there who’d missed the warning calls. A sickly feeling spread over him when the fog touched his skin. He held his breath for a moment, worried their intel was bad, and slayers could get infected. Then he saw Rio standing ahead of him with his sword upraised.
“The Kandoran humans are coming,” he yelled.
Well, he seemed sound of mind, and he’d breathed it in for sure.
“Incoming!” a coalition sergeant called.
They ran into the fog, only able to see maybe ten feet in front of them, and faced the incoming human horde. This was gonna be a shitty night. He’d changed his mind and hoped the three sorcerers would come to them soon so they could end this bullshit and get things back to normal. Poison gas was going a step too far, cheatin’ bastards.
Chapter 35
Ruari
The morning light shone down on them as Ruari and Freya each took a wounded shifter into their arms. They’d been brought to a bunker for healing, but their wounds were too severe. They needed the standing stones if they were to survive.
He beat his wings hard and took flight, carrying his burden as his mate followed close behind him. They’d been doing this every morning for a week now. The agony and death the battles inflicted on his people wore on his soul in a way he wouldn’t have thought possible a handful of years ago, but he didn’t see the world the same way anymore.
Ruari’s mate had taught him empathy. An annoying trait, for sure.
It would have been better if he could have kept his heart cold to those who suffered rather than feel their pain and loss. The male shifter he carried had lost an arm and a wing from a Kandoran dragon who breathed green fire. After that, the poor warrior had plummeted to the ground, breaking several bones on impact. He made growling sounds in his throat as Ruari held him as gently as possible. They both knew there was a slim chance the limbs could be regenerated, depending on howquickly he was treated and how much his skin had closed over the wounds.
For that reason, they moved quickly.
A half-hour later, they arrived at the fortress. He and Freya changed into human forms and carried their patients to the standing stones, where the Healer already worked on another that someone else hadbrought. It was impressive that he could still function at this hour.
A shifter, acting as an assistant, pointed to a patch of grass where the two injured could be laid. “They will be taken care of next.”
“Good,” Ruari said, taking a final look at the ailing male he’d carried.
Zorya be with him,he prayed. Would the dragon goddess listen to someone like him?
Freya took his arm. “Let’s eat and get some rest. There is nothing more we can do today.”
A loud noise cut through the air and drew his attention. He spotted a green helicopter in the sky. The coalition used several of the strange yet efficient air transports to fly their wounded and dead to the Norman hospital. They’d likely be finishing up soon as well. The shifters weren’t the only ones who sacrificed for this war. Rather, everyone suffered painful losses.
“I am hungry,” he agreed. He was also very tired, both physically and emotionally. Helping people was more exhausting than ignoring them.
Shifters were usually fast asleep by this hour, but they had to push themselves every time the Kandoran withdrew shortly before dawn. Taking care of the wounded and gatheringthe dead bodies couldn’t wait until after they rested. It was a duty he and his mate took seriously, especially since they weren’t on the front lines very much, unlike the others.
Occasionally, they joined if things looked particularly terrible while they were dropping off supplies, but their own work could rarely wait. It was up to them to ensure the bunkers had enough food, bandages, blankets, water, and other things. They were constantly running low, and there were twenty shelters to maintain across more than a hundred miles.
He and Freya switched to transporting wounded a few hours into the battle each night, so the most critical could get immediate care. The coalition took over restocking, using their helicopters and the tunnels on the safe side of the shield to avoid danger. Both processes went on relentlessly. He’d never seen a war last this long, and it didn’t appear close to ending.
They made their way through the fortress, which was still and quiet. Everyone who remained here was asleep. They’d rise shortly before noon and begin work. Some were assigned to prepare meals for the warriors on the front line, others crafted replacement armor and weapons, and still more made camrium uniforms. So many were getting their clothing destroyed in battle that they constantly needed new sets.
As they climbed the castle stairs, a little boy with short, dark hair like his father ran outside.
He went straight to Ruari and wrapped his arms around his waist. “Did you see my mommy or apa?”
“Yes,” he said, tweaking the little boy’s nose. “They were eating a meal when we stopped by the bunker. Both are tired but doing well.”
