Page 23 of Cast By Flames (Dragon's Breath)
Murmurs of surprise filled the room.
Edythe frowned. “I haven’t heard of this. When did the trouble begin?”
“Apparently, it’s been building for weeks, but they only made minor threats before. Nadine Richards didn’t think itwould become ugly. Yesterday was the first time the group turned violent. I’m going to visit Javier after this meeting and see if he can help track them.”
Morgan shook his head. “Good luck. That guy is as busy as us and probably doesn’t have much time or power to spare.”
Aidan had been thinking the same thing but couldn’t fault his mate for exploring every avenue possible to conclude the issue quickly. A rebel group acting violently would hinder their efforts—no doubt part of their goal. If they escalated, it would force Aidan and his allies to split their resources to handle it.
“Javier still tends to know more about the inner workings of Norman than anyone,” Bailey said, meeting his gaze. “He could at least point me in the right direction. If this doesn’t get resolved quickly, we’ll have to fight an internal battle while facing a massive enemy army.”
Aidan was relieved his mate had come to the same conclusion as him, but his mind continued to churn with alarming thoughts. “As soon as you capture a member from their group, inspect their torsos. Perhaps the Kandoran have infected them, and that is why they’ve elevated their efforts so suddenly.”
Bailey nodded. “Good point.”
“I will be assisting the slayer throughout the investigation,” Freya said, stepping forward and giving a nod to Aidan’s mate.
She might be from the Faegud, but she’d become integral to his toriq. Any doubts he’d had about her had been assuaged by her willingness to work for everyone’s betterment. More and more, Aidan found that Nanoq had utterly failed to take advantage of the best assets within the Taugud. More the fool.
“Excellent. You should both be careful, but try to resolve this quickly.”
Bailey and Freya nodded.
“Phoebe,” Aidan said, gesturing at her and giving her a meaningful look. “Would you like to reveal your news?”
His sister had gotten word to Lorcan, so he knew about the pregnancy now. They didn’t delay such tidings since a shifter’s scent would give her away soon after fertilization.
A slow smile spread across her face. “I’m pregnant…finally!”
Freya, usually a serious shifter, squealed in delight. “I’m going to be an aunt again!”
Aidan was just as pleased for his sister, especially after her trying for several years. Any children born between parents of the Taugud and Faegud would be given the choice of choosing their toriq after reaching the age of maturity. Before that, they stayed full-time with their mothers for the first ten years—the father visiting or staying as much as he liked—as was tradition, then they alternated their time between territories until reaching twenty-five years.
If the mating couple developed a genuine bond, they often chose to live in the neutral zone to raise their child together. Freya was one of the few who chose to stay fully in her mate’s home rather than her own. Despite being a fierce fighter, she’d never been well received by her toriq. She could be a rather strong, eccentric female, but his people didn’t mind that as much and had grown to see her as a valued member.
“Thank you,” Phoebe said, giving her a genuine smile.
Others gave their congratulations, and Bailey ran over to hug Phoebe. He hadn’t told his mate the news, wanting his sister to do the telling. After a few minutes, he cleared his throat to settle the conversations that had erupted. Aidan had to break the joy that a coming hatchling always brought out in his people, but war was imminent. They didn’t have the luxury of enjoying the moment for long.
“Phoebe will continue to lead the training of the female warriors, but she will also oversee the fortress defenses for the war. She will determine which of the newer recruits are best suited to be on the front lines and which should protect the walls.”
His sister gave him a curt nod. “You can count on me, brother.”
He didn’t doubt it.
“Donar,” Aidan said, turning to his male cousin. “How are your projects coming along?”
In the first half of the day, Donar helped with weapons crafting. It wasn’t his specialty, but they had a limited number of shifters who could blow the second flame on materials that would render them fireproof. Everyone who had the rare gift contributed. Even Aidan—also able to do it—volunteered an hour or two each day to help the weapons smiths.
During the second half of Donar’s day, he used his special flames to reinforce large blocks. Those would be used to construct bunkers for their troops where they could station the healers, store supplies, and distribute food.
Donar rubbed the back of his neck, exhaustion lining his features. “We’ve made progress on the weapons. By the end of the week, we will have three times as many of those machineguns as what we used during the battle with the Ghastanan. There should be more than enough arrowheads and blades as well.”
For the most part, completing the necessary weapons for the battle had been assured if they worked hard. All warrior shifters already had a personal set of weapons, and even those who did not usually fight maintained one or two for protection. It was the specialized equipment that required extra time and resources. They weren’t only equipping themselves since they also had a human contingent who would be among their forces.
Miles and Justin, both former human soldiers, had been training volunteers for the last five weeks since setting up a program. Initially, they only had a few dozen, but as word spread across the state, they’d gained hundreds.
Additional volunteers showed up at their training site—the Lloyd Noble Center—every day. They’d had to hire assistants and break everyone into squads to manage them. Many of their new troops were motivated to join the cause once they learned they’d get extra food rations and other special treatment.
