Page 8 of Cast By Flames (Dragon's Breath)
Ozara’s expression revealed a flash of anxiety before turning carefully blank. “I’m not at liberty to say, but you are welcome to ask the pendragon privately.”
Aidan had proven open with me since I returned, but I knew nothing about him planning to send the clan spy on a mission. Would he tell me about it? I’d have to wait until late tonight to find out.
“Do you really want to go?” I asked, concerned for her.
She gave me a curt nod. “Yes. No one else could do this without the risk of failure being far greater, and I want to help. We need every advantage we can get if we are to win against the Kandoran.”
I glanced toward the west. It was nothing except sunny skies, but we all knew if we kept heading in that direction, we’d reach an impenetrable shield of dark magic. What lay beyond it was a massive army of more than a hundred thousand that comprised dragons, sorcerers, and tainted humans. We couldn’t hope to defeat them without gathering a sizable force ourselves.
Since returning to Oklahoma, everyone had focused on doing what we could to shore up our defenses. Our own shield wall was almost complete and would be ready to activate soon.It would protect our most vulnerable while we stood before it to repel the invaders.
“I understand doing what you must so we can win.” However, I felt terrible that she had to leave her daughter because it sounded especially dangerous. “I’m doing everything I can from my end as well.”
Just a few hours ago, I’d been on a satellite phone with the NAC, coordinating efforts for them to join us for the war. I was relieved that the leadership was giving us their full support, and they were currently coordinating which assets they’d bring. The Kandoran wouldn’t know what hit them when American firepower came into play. The military had become much better at fighting dragons than when they first faced them six years ago. Weaponry had been modified, and tactics improved.
Ozara smiled. “I’ve heard as much and believe the allies you are bringing to us will make a great difference. Not everyone here has learned to appreciate you yet, but I promise many have begun to see the advantages you bring.”
“Thank you,” I said, appreciating her kind words. Who knew a master spy could be so sweet?
My brother, Paul, headed toward us from the fortress. At twenty-two years old, he was six years younger than me. He had straight brown hair, a light tan, and a medium build. Since we shared the same short mother, he wasn’t very tall, but he still reached five-foot-nine, thanks to him having a tall father.
I frowned at him. Usually, if he came outside, our mother was with him. This time, he was alone, with a nervous expression on his face. He stopped before us and shifted from foot to foot, his hands in his pockets.
“What’s going on?”
Paul cleared his throat. “I have a request I wanted to run by you before I ask Aidan.”
“Should I go?” Ozara asked, lifting an arched brow.
“No.” He shook his head. “You should hear this too since it sort of affects you as well.”
We both gave him intrigued glances, wondering what he had on his mind.
“All right, go ahead,” I said.
“Would it be possible…” he began, forcing himself to meet my gaze. “If Candace and I could move into one of the houses in the village and live together there?”
My jaw dropped. I’d known he’d been going into Norman often, but he didn’t talk much about what he did there other than visiting friends or shopping. Had he been seeing my friend, Danae’s sister, this whole time? They had gotten close during the trip, but I didn’t realize it had developed into something deeper.
Of course, I stayed rather busy. Some weeks, I only saw my brother at our weekly dinner or briefly in the great hall. I suddenly felt guilty I didn’t talk to him more often to find out how he was doing with life in the fortress—or his personal affairs.
“You two are getting that serious?”
He nodded. “We wanted to keep it quiet until we knew for sure how we felt, but I really care about her. There’s so much more to Candace once she opens up. We started talking about living together to make things easier, but I don’t want to leave the fortress, and she isn’t comfortable with the castle. Then we realized the village would be the perfect compromise.”
“It’s empty right now,” I pointed out.
Humans had built it after the return of dragons as a safe place to live. Shifters had proven they would protect them, but the former pendragon, Nanoq, eventually scared them away. Over the handful of years of his reign, he evolved from a fair leader into a tyrant who looked for any reason to punish his people and the humans who had sought refuge in or near the fortress.
It had happened because he’d allowed the power of his position to corrupt him, and he’d made himself easy prey for the Kandoran to corrupt to their side. No one figured out that last part until after Aidan had challenged and killed him. Apparently, getting touched by an infected person was all it took if certain factors weakened one’s mind or body. We’d only narrowed down a few of those possibilities so far, such as being badly injured or easily corruptible, but greed was definitely in there as well.
He shrugged. “We don’t mind. Rumors are going around that some refugees may come to live there soon, so we probablywon’t be alone for long. Then, at least, we could help and welcome them if we’re already there.”
“Refugees?” I gave him a confused look. “What do you mean?”
“Kade says they’ll arrive soon, but he didn’t say who.”
When Paul wasn’t visiting Norman, he spent a lot of time in the library, where he helped the few human children we had at the fortress learn basic school subjects. Before, no one had been willing to teach them except their parents, who did what they could when they were not working their jobs. Since Aidan’s uncle, Kade, still preferred to work in the library, my brother saw him often.
