Page 73 of Blood Fist

“Ten, so far. There’s a few injured the healers don’t think will make the night.” Jonen’s face was blank, eyes trained on the furs Ridan was sitting on.

Rubbing his eyes, he tried to think with his head and not his heart. His heart wanted to rip that magic user’s fingers from his hand and shove them into his eyes. But this wasn’t just a magic user anymore. This was Corric’s brother.Pack.His omega was at war with him, demanding he protect. Not just the brother, but Corric, too. If the clans hear he is related, they will view Corric with suspicion.

“And our problem? Where is he?”

The two alphas exchanged a look. “Corric has him in your tent.”

Of course he did.

Sighing, Ridan smacked their hands away and pushed himself to his feet. He still felt wobbly, but less likely to fall over, so he considered it a win. Strapping his sword on, he pushed past them and out of the tent.

Night had fallen while he was being treated. Despite that, the clans had set up torches. Everywhere he looked people were being treated or helping those being treated. The most severe were inside the healing tent, being tended to as best they could.

By Artrax’s teeth, they don’t have enough healers.

Iylah was getting older, and Ridan would have to remember to find her an apprentice or two. The clan was expanding, and they couldn’t be without a knowledgeable healer.

His tent was set in the very center of the territory given to the Stone Blade. Osmond was standing outside of it, looking a little singed but otherwise upright. He nodded to his second before stepping inside.

All of his limited furnishings had been pushed back against the leather walls and a hole had been dug in the center of the tent where they’d laid the tied up magic user. Three buckets of water were stashed around the hole.

Ridan stared down at it.

“He kept waking up and setting things on fire,” Corric explained.

“So you put him in the dirt?”

“Dirt won’t catch.”

Ridan wasn’t sure that was true, but he had to hand it to Corric for his ingenuity. Niklas was standing bywith his bow in hand as well. The beta looked exhausted.

“Niklas, get that alpha of yours and get checked out by Iylah. I’ve got it from here.”

The man nodded, loosening his grip on his bow. He stepped outside and they could hear a short round of arguing before Niklas won, no doubt dragging his alpha off to be cared for.

With just Brune, Jonen, and Corric, he felt a little better. His omega settled, allowing him to drop into a chair. He sat back and glared at Corric.

“Speak.”

Sighing, the fellow omega curled in on himself. “Schok is my oldest brother. The most promising. Able to wield magic and an alpha.”

Brune jerked his head up. “Alpha? I don’t smell that on him.”

Actually, the man smelled like meat left over the fire three days too long, but Ridan didn’t say that.

“You wouldn’t,” Jonen said, pointing to his neck glands. They were completely scarred over from what looked like a deep burn.

Corric refused to look down at his brother. “He was always so…mischievous. Even when father yelled, he would make faces behind his back, or ignore his orders. Schok liked to sneak out, too. Slip into the city. That was the last time I ever saw him. He told me not to tell dad and left out a window. We never saw him again.”

Now that the man wasn’t trying to incinerate him, he could get a look at him. The water had washed a bit of the filth from his hair and red roots were peeking out.

“Father launched searches. He uprooted the entire city, even so far as going through Guttersnipes.” Corric glanced over at Brune. The big alpha just shrugged.

“I don’t remember that, but I made it my businessto stay as far away from Kaledonean soldiers as possible.”

“You’re thinking he was taken and…what? Spelled?” Ridan asked.

Corric shrugged. “I don’t know what else to think. He might have hated father and his rules, but he wouldn’t have stayed away from us.” Rubbing at his face with the back of his hands, Ridan could smell the sadness and guilt rolling off him. “The fire magic is his. It’s the most difficult of the elements to wield. He was working on mastering the others…father yelled about it a lot.”