Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
The shock wave of magic blasted out across the battlefield, then beyond. I stopped with widening eyes before slapping my hand to my chest.
“Did you…” Austin turned to look down at me. “Did you just…”
“Sent a summons, yeah.” I moved my hand to his shoulder. “For a healer. I was just thinking how it would be great to have another one besides me.”
I started walking again, and Austin quickly caught up.
“You shouldn’t have to receive challenges or dominate or anything.” I chewed my lip. “I hope. I’d just been wishfully thinking. I hadn’t meant to send a summons.”
“You don’t have to accept whoever shows,” he said, “but it’s definitely not a bad idea. I wonder what type of magic it’ll be. I don’t think I know of a magical being specializing in healing.”
I wondered myself.
Ulric had some nasty wounds, but he was still in flight. Hollace had taken a lot of hits, too. Those magical weapons didn’t just puncture—they seemed to strip the magical wielder of their power. After I found balance in my magic, I’d tried to protect as many of my people as I could, but I hadn’t been able to cover everyone, especially once the mages got free.
The rest were banged up, but nothing too serious. Niamh’s back hurt, Dave had been hit by the blasts several times but didn’t seem to notice the seeping wounds, and Mr. Tom was very annoyed about a torn wing.
The shifters hadn’t fared so well, and a lot of that was my fault. I’d nearly been captured by the enemy, and they were the ones to rip me free. They’d paid the price.
“What’s the damage?” I asked as I checked in with Austin again by the trees under which the wounded had taken shelter. Various connections fanned into my awareness. Most of the shifters had accepted my gargoyle’s—my—invitation during the battle. The extra awareness had allowed me to know when they felt danger—exorbitant danger, since battle was always dangerous—and help as best I could. Those that didn’t had been hit harder, as I’d needed to physically see their peril.
“No casualties,” he said, and tilted his head. “Nearly.”
I nodded as I knelt beside a wolf I didn’t know well. He’d stayed in his furry form to help with healing, but he wasn’t faring very well. He’d taken a lot of hits with the guns, including one to his eye, and had gaping wounds on multiple places on his body. If left to his own healing abilities, he’d surely die.
I set to healing him immediately, cutting out his pain so maybe he could get a little sleep and help himself heal. I still wasn’t sure he’d make it, honestly. I wasn’t sure this much damage could be fixed.
Isabelle’s front right leg was broken in multiple places. The bone stuck out in two, and if it wasn’t set to rights, it would heal incorrectly, and she’d never walk on it again.
“We need to see if the basajaunak can help with this,” I murmured to Austin. “I can stop her from feeling the pain, but this shouldn’t be healed yet, for obvious reasons. I can’t will bone to straighten, at least not to that magnitude.”
He nodded, glancing at one of his people to carry out the command.
Three more had broken extremities, but none so bad as Isabelle. Still, two would need help from the basajaunak if they could provide it. The guns had done the most damage, but thankfully, the enemy had underestimated shifters and wildly underestimated gargoyles. The wounds were intense and painful, but with the shifters’ faster healing speeds, it took many hits to keep them down. Those bleeding the most heavily, like Kace and a couple others, could rely on stitches to sew them back up before blood loss became a serious problem.
I really hoped the basajaunak were set up for all that.
“Hey.” Sebastian walked up after I’d checked in with the last shifter under the trees and moved away to find the lead basandere. He wore an incredulous expression.
“What’s up?” I asked, looking him over. “Did you sustain any injuries?”
“What? Oh.” He looked down at himself. “No, I was too far away for that.”
Broken Sue limped toward us. I could feel his pain through our connection, which was dimming but didn’t seem like it would entirely disappear, now that I had a firmer handle on my primal side.
“Alpha, I was just making my way over to check on the wounded,” he said when he reached us, standing tall even though I could feel what it cost him to do so.
“Jess just saw to them,” said Sebastian. “She’s healing the worst, and we have people checking in with the basajaunak about other issues. What’s your status?”
“I’m fine,” Broken Sue lied.
I didn’t have the energy to help him, though. He’d have to tough it out.