Page 21 of Cast By Flames (Dragon's Breath)
“What do you two have for me?” Aidan inquired with a lift of his brow.
Xanath smoothed his dark robe. “As of this morning, we have shielded the entire fortress so that no one infected withdark magic may enter. We shouldn’t need to check anyone at the gate now.”
In recent weeks, they’d caught a few humans and shifters who got infected while away. They’d been able to cure them, but Aidan feared what would happen if they missed even one person. It was exhausting their resources to have everyone checked every time they left the area, as well as for his meetings.
Bailey cocked her head. “What happens if they try to pass through the gates?”
Morgan—the younger sorcerer who came from the New American Coalition territory with Aidan’s mate—pushed his glasses up his nose. “The spell will stun them until they pass out. It doesn’t have to be the gates. The same thing will happen if they try to climb over the wall or come through the underground tunnels.”
Guards watched all the entryways and weakest points so they would know if anyone suddenly fell unconscious while trying to enter the fortress. The sorcerers had spent weeks setting up the spell on top of their numerous other tasks.
“How is progress going on the shield wall?” Aidan asked.
A rare smile crossed Morgan’s face. He was generally a serious young man and rarely showed signs of emotion. Aidan had been doubtful about him when he first arrived, especially since shifters were naturally suspicious of sorcerers, but he’d more than proven his value since his arrival. Even Xanath had been impressed with his level of dedication and extensive powers.
“As you know, anyone with magic has been taking turns fueling the stones for the wall. We could erect it now, and itwould be effective, but we prefer to wait and keep pouring power into it until the Kandoran forces are close.”
The lead elder, Edythe, stood and shuffled closer to them. Wrinkles lined her features, and skepticism was evident in her eyes. “Why is that?”
“We are using white magic for something quite massive. Once it goes up, the stones will begin draining, and they can’t be recharged. We will be lucky if it lasts two weeks before it becomes vulnerable to penetration. The longer we wait to raise it, the longer it will last. I can only imagine what the Kandoran have used to fuel theirs for so long, but we suspect considerable sacrifices were involved.”
The older shifter knitted her brows. “What if you use animal sacrifices? Would that make it last longer?”
Aidan understood she was only worried. The sooner the shield went up, the better, but they couldn’t risk it failing when they needed it most for the actual war.
“No.” Xanath shook his head. “We designed the barrier to repel all types of dark magic. Animal sacrifices would negate the spell and render our work obsolete. It will be the most effective if fueled by freely given power and good intentions.”
Morgan cleared his throat. “There is one other thing we have been considering if we want to make it more difficult for the Kandoran to break the shield, but I don’t know how well the request would be received.”
Even the elders who were half falling asleep perked up at his words.
Aidan hadn’t heard of this. “What is it?”
“If we could find enough people who are willing—humans and shifters—to donate a small amount of their blood, it could add up to a lot more power. Now that magic has returned to the world, everyone absorbs it regardless of whether they can use it. We could channel their offerings to fuel the stones, but it would require a lot of volunteers to make a significant difference.”
It wasn’t the worst idea Aidan had heard, and as long as it was freely given, it wouldn’t be dark magic. That was key to the shield warding off the Kandoran.
He turned to Falcon. “Is it possible for you to speak with the humans about this matter?”
“Of course,” the shifter agreed, then his brows furrowed. “But I am already organizing many projects between the city and the fortress and struggling to keep up with them.”
Aidan gestured at his older cousin, a female shifter with great skill and confidence, who he’d invited because he knew she could be an essential asset. “That is why Sabryn will be working with you from now on. She asked for more responsibility, and I believe she’d be invaluable assisting you with your tasks.”
While he had never been close to her the way he had with his cousin Donar, he had always admired her courage, impressive fighting abilities, and ethics. Phoebe made a sour face at the news, still bitter after suffering a defeat against Sabryn during the Bitkal when the previous pendragon contest occurred. Apparently, she had yet to get over it.
“It would be my honor,” his cousin said, giving Falcon a nod.
The shifter appeared startled but quickly masked the emotion. “Very well. We will speak after the meeting about howyou can help, but I warn you, there is a lot to do even with the two of us.”
“Hard work has never been a problem for me.”
Aidan was glad his gut feeling had proven correct, and they’d likely do well with each other.
“Now that we’ve worked that out.” Aidan gestured at the two of them. “You can coordinate with humans and shifters to help with the barrier. Talk to Morgan about the best way to gather volunteers and send them in shifts over the coming weeks to the various stones.”
The young sorcerer’s shoulders sagged, and relief filled his eyes. “Thank you. This will make a huge difference and buy us more time to defeat the Kandoran before the shield weakens too much.”
Considering they’d be outnumbered even with their current allies, he had little doubt they’d fight for weeks if not months. All their preparations considered that timeline so they wouldn’t run out of resources too soon.
