Page 35 of Cast By Flames (Dragon's Breath)
“Seriously? The hospital?” I asked, shocked. I remembered hearing the explosion earlier but hadn’t figured out the location. My mind had been on capturing the bad guys.
“Afraid so.”
That place would be vital for taking injured humans during the war. It was well inside Taugud territory but close enough to the border for transport. They’d started construction on a new hospital complex west of the interstate that would have been just outside the shifter territory, but it wasn’t completed before the invasion. The Kandoran spies must have figured out where we’d take our wounded within Norman and used people on our side to target key infrastructure.
It explained why they invaded each territory slowly, according to intelligence reports. They worked to undermine the people living in the targeted land first so that they were weakened and lacked resources. It was far more cunning and tactical than I’d expected from an evil horde.
I worried for my friend, hoping she was alright. If Danae had been hurt badly, word would have spread since she was well-known and loved by the community, but she could have had light wounds. As soon as I could get away, I’d check on her and see if she needed anything.
“Okay.” I rubbed my face. “Are the guards here enough to keep an eye on these guys until we can get help removing the dark magic?”
“Yes, and we have wards we’ll activate. Once those are in place, no one can get in or out except the person who set them—not even those with dark magic,” she said with confidence.
I frowned. “Wouldn’t you need a sorcerer to raise them?”
“Nope. Javier chose the guards and keyed the wards to them, so we have total control.”
That was smart.
On the other hand, we’d have to ensure none of them were infected, orthe security measures wouldn’t matter. At least everyone present—besides the prisoners—had already been cleared. The guards would also be careful to check the people who came for the following shifts.
“All right. I need to check on Danae and then head back to the fortress. Hopefully, I can find someone to clear the infections in our prisoners soon. It might take a day or so, though.”
It was getting late. I knew my odds of finding anyone this evening were slim, so I didn’t want to give any false hope that it would be tonight.
“They’ll still be here,” the woman reassured me. “We run a tight ship.”
I hated that we couldn’t wrap the problem up sooner. Then I remembered the box we’d grabbed earlier after puttingthe wrapped objects back inside. A hum of power emanated from the direction where we set it in the hallway. Everyone was too nervous to go near it again until a sorcerer could check everything and ensure none of it was dangerous.
“Store that somewhere safe,” I said, gesturing at the box. “It would probably be a good idea to let Javier look at it all when he returns and let him figure out what to do. For all we know, they’re magical explosives.”
The woman’s face turned horrified. “Yeah, uh, I’ll show you a secure place to put it.”
I couldn’t blame her for not wanting to handle the box herself, but we needed to wrap up our business quickly. Now that I knew Danae may have been hurt—and possibly others I knew—I needed to get going.
Picking the box up carefully, I looked at the guard. “Lead the way.”
She kept a healthy distance from me as she led me to another area of the building.
Chapter 10
Aidan
A large platter of hot bacon appeared before him. Aidan had already consumed so much that he didn’t know how to fit more in his stomach, but he grabbed a piece anyway to be polite. Everything he’d been offered was quite good.
“Don’t slow down now,” Esphyr said, wagging a finger at him. “You are too skinny and need to eat more.”
The woman was a skillful warrior, but she was also an excellent cook. His only complaint about his aunt was that she went too far in playing hostess whenever he visited. Her singular mission was to feed him as much food as possible, and she didn’t care about reasonable limits.
Still, he didn’t regret having his first meal at her home rather than the castle. Lately, he got interrupted more than he liked in the great hall and wanted some private time with his family. If only Bailey hadn’t had to leave early and could have joined him.
Her friend, Danae, had sustained some minor injuries from an explosion, and she wanted to check on her again. Aidan had been alarmed when he heard what happened, especially since two humans died in the attack, but he had to let thetownspeople handle the situation unless they requested his assistance. That was part of their deal after he took control of the territory.
His mate had also mentioned needing a sorcerer, but he couldn’t spare any from the fortress right now. Their tasks were vital for his war plans. Still, he hoped she found aid soon. The human rebels could become a more significant problem if they escalated their activities, and then he would have to divert vital resources he couldn’t afford to lose.
Orion, sitting next to him, grinned. “I want more!”
“Take as many as you want.” Esphyr nudged the platter closer to the young boy. “Show your father how you’re such a good child and can eat better than him. I bet you’ll grow even bigger and stronger.”
