(eng) Lindsay Buroker - Dragon Blood 06 by Raptor

Author:Raptor [Raptor]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Ridge was hammering nails into screw holes to secure the fire-warped base of one of the outpost’s big viper guns when the ground started shaking. His first thought was that Captain Bosmont had miscalculated in reopening the tower for personnel, or that one of the timbers supporting the charred structure had fallen away. The half-burned split logs under his knees trembled so fiercely, he expected the entire tower to break away from the fortress wall and tip over. That would make his repairs to the base of the gun irrelevant.

“Zirkander,” Therrik bellowed from the courtyard. “What is your witch doing?”

Ridge climbed to his feet, bracing himself on the low wall surrounding the weapons platform. The tower continued to shake, but it wasn’t the only thing doing so. Down in the courtyard, numerous soldiers wobbled as the earth trembled. Timbers erected as braces to support damaged buildings toppled over. A straw roof over the small stables collapsed. Bricks flew out of the crumbling walls of the mess hall.

Therrik stood in the middle of the chaos, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared up at Ridge.

“She’s not powerful enough to make an earthquake,” Ridge said, though he didn’t care to discuss magic, especially not her magic, with so many people around who might overhear.

Someone ran up to Therrik, waving a clipboard and pointing to one of the oversized double-doored entrances to the mine system. Ridge ran down the steps, thoughts spinning through his mind. While he doubted Sardelle or even Jaxi could make an earthquake, he knew from recent and firsthand experience that a dragon could, simply with the power of its mind. Was Phelistoth responsible? Sardelle had said that he had reappeared and had healed the injured men, but she hadn’t mentioned if he had gone into the tunnels with her and Tylie. Ridge couldn’t imagine where else he would be lurking, especially since that other dragon seemed to want him dead, but this shaking of the earth could also signal another attack by Morishtomaric.

Jaxi? Ridge asked silently. I don’t suppose you can hear me?

He was not surprised when he did not receive an answer. He had no power to transmit his thoughts; if he wanted to communicate with Jaxi or Sardelle, he had to hope one of them was listening to his mind, however that worked. They were probably busy, maybe worrying about the exact same thing he was. The earthquake. As alarming as it was above the ground, it had to be doubly so down there.

By the time Ridge reached Therrik, the tremors were subsiding. He might have felt relieved about that, but as the shakes and the shouts of men died down, he could hear the report the young soldier was issuing.

“…been a cave-in. Down in the tram shaft. We’re not sure how far back it goes, but we had nearly forty miners down on the bottom level, and some of our men too.” The soldier looked at Ridge, opened his mouth, then closed it. He looked away.

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