the use of anything mystical. They depend on pure brawn and their ability to intimidate. They are little more than common thugs. My guess is this was a one off. They know Claire has magic at her disposal and we are magical so they enlisted some help. I would rather you stay here with Rory. Keep him stable until we can get Claire back here, if you would please,” Rian answered.
“Whatever you need,” Calysta responded. “You better tell Kyra, Roy. She might listen to you.”
“Already done. She’s not happy but says she’ll be here to help with Ror in a bit.” Royce was chuckling. Rory could only imagine what his hot-headed sister-in-law had actually said when Roy told her she was staying behind. Kyra was not known for her patience or for following instructions and had a rather colorful way of letting her opinions be known. The huge double doors to the clinic banged against the wall as Rory heard the voices of Brannon, Pearce, and Declan.
“Y’all aren’t gonna believe this shit. The griffins protect their entire clan with electrified fences. Who the hell does that? It’s so...so... low tech . This is gonna be a walk in the park.” Brann’s confidence made Rory smile.
“I think there has to be more to it but all we can find in the county records and on the maps are the fences. So it appears Fate is finally on our side,” Pearce, the Zen master of the group chimed in, putting his almost positive spin on the situation.
“’Bout time,” Lenn snickered.
“Nothing is ever easy. Everyone needs to be ready for anything,” Declan added in his ‘Joe Friday’ way. Rory always waited for his brethren to say, “Just the facts ma’am” every time he spoke
“Noted,” Rian answered. “Now, show me what we’re up against.”
Rory heard the scrape of tables against the stone floor before papers were shuffled over a wooden surface. He figured they’d moved the tables together to be able to see all the maps Brannon had surely printed out. The man was always super prepared for all contingencies.
“It’s heavily wooded, which is good for us. We can take the treetops in panther form and keep watch while you lot move in on the ground,” Max advised.
“Mmmmhmmm...” Was Rian’s only response. His oldest brother was apparently deep in thought.
Rory roared at his inability to help. His head felt like it was going to explode. The longer he lay dormant the more furious he became. Cool fingers, he recognized as Calysta’s, touched his wrist a moment before she said, “His pulse is raising and his heart rate is off the charts.” The back of her hand touched his forehead. “His fever is also rising. This is not good. I need to give him more sedative and you guys need to hurry.”
NO! No sedative! I can’t sleep now!
Fighting the rising tide of panic and rage, Rory mentally took a long deep breath and held it in to the count of ten before slowly letting it out. It was important he get his heart rate under control. There was no way he could allow Calysta to sedate him again. Helping Claire was all that mattered.
“It’s still too early to give him more herbs. I know his rapid metabolism burns off medication quickly but we are administering much higher doses than I’ve ever used before, and we don’t know how the drug is interacting with the hellhound poison. Then, there is his dragon to consider. We know the beast is dormant. I know we didn’t cause the condition but we may be making it worse, or at the very least keeping the dragon from waking.” The concern and fatigue in Niall’s voice made Rory worry for the oldest among them, but his words gave hope that the priestess would hold off on another injection. Both man and beast needed to wake up and they needed to do it now.
“Do whatever you have to do to keep him alive until we can get the phoenix back here to heal him. I’m not losing another family member. Got that?” Roy snarled, the fear evident in his voice.
“I have no intention of
“Whatever you need,” Calysta responded. “You better tell Kyra, Roy. She might listen to you.”
“Already done. She’s not happy but says she’ll be here to help with Ror in a bit.” Royce was chuckling. Rory could only imagine what his hot-headed sister-in-law had actually said when Roy told her she was staying behind. Kyra was not known for her patience or for following instructions and had a rather colorful way of letting her opinions be known. The huge double doors to the clinic banged against the wall as Rory heard the voices of Brannon, Pearce, and Declan.
“Y’all aren’t gonna believe this shit. The griffins protect their entire clan with electrified fences. Who the hell does that? It’s so...so... low tech . This is gonna be a walk in the park.” Brann’s confidence made Rory smile.
“I think there has to be more to it but all we can find in the county records and on the maps are the fences. So it appears Fate is finally on our side,” Pearce, the Zen master of the group chimed in, putting his almost positive spin on the situation.
“’Bout time,” Lenn snickered.
“Nothing is ever easy. Everyone needs to be ready for anything,” Declan added in his ‘Joe Friday’ way. Rory always waited for his brethren to say, “Just the facts ma’am” every time he spoke
“Noted,” Rian answered. “Now, show me what we’re up against.”
Rory heard the scrape of tables against the stone floor before papers were shuffled over a wooden surface. He figured they’d moved the tables together to be able to see all the maps Brannon had surely printed out. The man was always super prepared for all contingencies.
“It’s heavily wooded, which is good for us. We can take the treetops in panther form and keep watch while you lot move in on the ground,” Max advised.
“Mmmmhmmm...” Was Rian’s only response. His oldest brother was apparently deep in thought.
Rory roared at his inability to help. His head felt like it was going to explode. The longer he lay dormant the more furious he became. Cool fingers, he recognized as Calysta’s, touched his wrist a moment before she said, “His pulse is raising and his heart rate is off the charts.” The back of her hand touched his forehead. “His fever is also rising. This is not good. I need to give him more sedative and you guys need to hurry.”
NO! No sedative! I can’t sleep now!
Fighting the rising tide of panic and rage, Rory mentally took a long deep breath and held it in to the count of ten before slowly letting it out. It was important he get his heart rate under control. There was no way he could allow Calysta to sedate him again. Helping Claire was all that mattered.
“It’s still too early to give him more herbs. I know his rapid metabolism burns off medication quickly but we are administering much higher doses than I’ve ever used before, and we don’t know how the drug is interacting with the hellhound poison. Then, there is his dragon to consider. We know the beast is dormant. I know we didn’t cause the condition but we may be making it worse, or at the very least keeping the dragon from waking.” The concern and fatigue in Niall’s voice made Rory worry for the oldest among them, but his words gave hope that the priestess would hold off on another injection. Both man and beast needed to wake up and they needed to do it now.
“Do whatever you have to do to keep him alive until we can get the phoenix back here to heal him. I’m not losing another family member. Got that?” Roy snarled, the fear evident in his voice.
“I have no intention of
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