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“I know, but we were outnumbered and outgunned as it was with no route for escape.” Caelan also wanted to mention that they had no idea where Drayce was or if he was still alive. He should have rejoined them by now.
But if he was on the other side of this horde of soldiers, he at least had a chance of escaping.
“Do you have any more spells up your sleeve?” Eno demanded.
Caelan shook his head. He knew a couple of others, but nothing that could be of any use at that moment. He’d learned very few simply because he’d not bonded with the Godstone yet. There were supposed to be others in his repertoire, but he’d put it off. There was supposed to be more time.
“Any more explosives?”
Rayne shook his head. “We blew everything we were given.”
Suddenly, the light from the southwest tower swung around to focus on them. Caelan flinched and raised his hand to shield himself from the blinding glare. A disturbing whirring noise rose above the din followed by a deafening rattle of bullets being fired off at a blinding speed. He jerked again, half expecting the bullets to find a way to rip through his guard. But they didn’t.
Soldiers outside the protective bubble screamed and jerked as the bullets shredded their bodies. They immediately started to scatter as if they could outrun the firepower of the brutal turret gun mounted on the tower. Just barely above the gunfire Caelan could hear a familiar “Whooohoooooo!”
“Holy shit,” Eno breathed.
“Drayce,” Caelan choked out, a joyful lump in his throat. That fucking lunatic had managed to fight his way to the top of the tower, take out the guards, and steal their turret gun.
“Drop the shield!” Rayne shouted the moment the way was clear for their escape.
Caelan released the power from the flames and lowered the protective shield. They fought the remaining soldiers while on the run. The turret gun stopped firing, and Caelan could only pray that Drayce was racing to meet them at the hole in the fence.
More gunfire and explosions echoed through the night, but that was coming from the northern entrance of the base. Caelan laughed, not caring that he sounded a little mad. The Caspagir army was finally getting in on the fun. The Empire soldiers were enveloped in chaos. If they wanted any chance of survival, they needed to surrender now.
At the hole in the fence, Drayce was waiting. Relief made Caelan weak in the knees. Never in his life had he been so happy to see Drayce. Dirt, soot, and blood were streaked across his face and clothes, but his grin was positively wicked.
“Bout time you got here!” he called out with a laugh.
“Have fun with that gun?” Caelan shouted.
“Oh, I’m so getting one of those when we return home!”
“Plan later, escape now,” Rayne snapped.
Yeah, running was probably a good idea. They slipped through the fence and into the darkness of the Ordas, working their way toward Shallow Edge and Andy’s borrowed apartment. The mission hadn’t gone as smoothly as they hoped, but at least they were all still alive and in one piece. Katie would finish rounding up the surviving Empire soldiers and see that they were safely deposited on the other side of the border. Shallow Edge was safe from the Empire…for now at least.
12
Eno Bevyn
Relief coursed through Eno when they finally stumbled through the apartment door, and he locked it behind them. They’d destroyed more of the base than he’d wanted, but the Empire army had been killed or captured. Caspagir had the remains of their base back, which meant that the people of Shallow Edge had their protectors from the Ordas again.
And they had a potential bargaining chip when it came time to deal with the government of Caspagir.
“Anyone injured? Shall I get my medic bag?” Rayne called out.
They were a collective bloody, dirty, sweat-soaked mess. Clothes were ripped and the smell of smoke now permeated the room. Caelan managed to unbuckle his sword sheath and drop it to the floor with a loud clatter before he collapsed facedown on the couch. Drayce shed his gun holster with a thud and stretched out on the floor right next to Caelan, also on his face.
“I’m fine,” Caelan replied, his voice heavily muffled by the couch cushion.
“I’ve got a few splinters in my ass from the exploding tower.” Drayce lifted his head and smirked at Rayne. “Are you going to pull them out?”
“I think I’ll leave that to Cael since you’re such close friends,” Rayne said drily.
“Hard pass,” Caelan mumbled into the couch, causing Drayce to snicker.
Rayne turned toward Eno, his eyes sweeping over him. “Eno? Injuries?”
“I’m fine. Just a few minor bruises,” he muttered. He lifted a questioning brow at Rayne, but the man quickly looked away, seeming to avoid his gaze. But it was too late. Eno could see the lines of pain digging deep into his face. There was no missing the stiff way he was holding himself. He was hurt. Eno couldn’t be sure where or how badly until he got his hands on the man, but he knew that Rayne was hurt and hiding it. Fatigue and relief were pushed aside, replaced by a burning need to pull Rayne into his arms and care for him. He needed to be sure Rayne was okay.
