Page 138 of Cast By Flames (Dragon's Breath)
After they were on the ground, everyone shifted. The slayer stood closest to him, studiously avoiding looking at the lone shifter. Aidan inhaled and caught an interesting scent, faint but telling. The two of them had been intimate sometime recently. He couldn’t pinpoint precisely when since her camrium clothing was torn and stained from many nights of battle, and her skin had been washed clean to dilute the trace scent further.
Forcing aside his curiosity, he turned to matters of war.
“Tell me what you learned,” he ordered Ozara.
“The shield along the Faegud border has completely fallen except from Gainesville to the Red River, but the Kandoran were working their way there when I picked up Rayna and Galadon. Hildegard fell around midnight after being overwhelmed by the enemy targeting her,” she paused, taking a shaky breath. “Lorcan has taken control and is consolidating his forces so they can try to stop…or at least slow down the enemies’ advance. Honestly, though, I think it will be a matter of time before they reach us. A day or two at most.”
Aidan absorbed her report, chest tightening at the thought of losing Hildegard. The Faegud pendragon had been a formidable warrior and excellent leader who stood by him during his darkest times. Her death was a tragic loss for all of them.
“Do you know how many Kandoran are attacking down there?” he asked.
She shook her head. “The most I’ve ever seen so far. Our side is killing more of them than they are of us, but they may have sent up to eight thousand dragons down there. I couldn’t find an end to their forces in sight. Our allies are grossly outnumbered.”
Aidan took a deep breath, attempting to see the big picture. Most of Ozara’s report aligned with what Kade had told them would happen—albeit at a time when there was little they could do about it—but he’d still hoped for better news. Sometimes, they could prevent tragedies before they occurred, but tonight, they’d only been able to save one person with his prophecy.
He looked at Syrus. “How has it been for your section of the line tonight?”
The Straegud pendragon had the southernmost stretch of the Oklahoma line.
“Quiet, but we sense it won’t last much longer. One of my flight leaders reported hearing the sounds of battle across the Red River a few minutes after they came to me.” He gestured toward Ozara, Rayna, and Galadon. “I suspect they were barely ahead of it.”
The enemy was too close to Taugud territory.
“I doubt they’ll cross the border tonight,” Aidan said, mind racing. “Allow Lorcan’s forces to rest in the neutral zone up to the chasm. Make certain your people and his eat and rest well for the day. As soon as dusk nears this evening, join half your forces with the Faegud contingent. The rest will continue to hold the line in case the Kandoran attempt to flank us. If you lose territory, retreat until you have the shield to your west again.”
Basically, he’d have his shifters in an “L” formation until they lost all ground.
Syrus nodded. “I can do that.”
Aidan looked at Wren. “If the Faegud and Straegud forces reach your end of the line, follow the same pattern. Assist with evacuating any wounded to the healers and supplement their warriors, but keep some to defend the shield to the west.”
“We’ll do our best to slow them down.”
He gave him a grim smile. “I have no doubt about that.” Aidan glanced between the two shifter leaders, feeling humbled by their aid and sacrifices. “I don’t know how we could have fought this war without each of you joining us. It is a great honor.”
They each bowed.
“We wouldn’t have missed it,” Syrus said as he rose.
Wren quirked a lip. “It has been worth it if only to bring all of our kind together for the first time in many centuries.”
“Thank you,” he replied, meeting each of their gazes.
Galadon shifted on his feet. “Where do you want me?”
“At the fortress. Rayna will go there as well.”
The lone shifter worked his jaw. “Why there? I have fought little this night and could join the battle at sunset.”
“Every prediction my uncle has made has been annoyingly accurate.” Aidan squared his shoulders, refusing to submit to Galadon’s intimidating gaze. “No matter what we do, the Kandoran will reach the fortress in the next day or two. When that happens, I need a contingent of elite, rested fighters ready to face them, and you two are among our best.”
Rayna’s brows knitted. “Why are the Kandoran focusing on your fortress?”
“They’ve likely figured out that we have the means to defeat them there,” Aidan admitted.
He suspected the enemy hadn’t known the whereabouts of the orb until very recently. They’d shielded it as well as they could with magic, but the Kandoran sorcerers must have worked hard to penetrate the protective barriers to locate it. That was Kade’s best guess, anyway.
Everyone around him, except Ozara, stared at him in shock.
