After we all caught our breath and took a moment to rest, we flew the rest of the way to Priyanka's territory. The dragons and phoenixes who had come to help us carried the crates the rest of the way back. None of our original group was in any shape to do so.

I took in Priyanka's city as we finally reached it. It was scattered, with buildings built lower to the ground that almost blended into the desert. They looked like they were created from the same sand that was all around them. Or at least they were coated in that sand to help them blend. If I hadn't been looking for it, I might have missed it completely from the air. Which I think was the point. A good defensive measure.

We followed our escorts to land in an open square situated just off center. As soon as we landed, one of the red dragons changed. It was Priyanka.

"I've sent medical aid over to your fallen," she said, her voice tight. "I apologize for not reaching you sooner."

"Thank you," I said. "And no apology is necessary. We wouldn't have made it the rest of the way if you hadn't intervened."

She inclined her head.

"I had a scout on the lookout for you. He saw the attack happen and alerted us right away. But it took some time to fly out to you."

I was wondering how they'd known what was happening. The city still hadn't been in sight.

"I believe that all of you need to go to the infirmary," she added giving us once-overs.

None of us objected, probably because we were too tired to argue and pretty grateful for the save. We were led to another building by her people. The change helped to heal the burns, but I still had that puncture wound in my thigh. It had healed a bit, but it had been too deep.

Oscar had a broken arm, and Amara maybe had a concussion so she had to stay for observation, but the rest of us were mostly just beat up. After we were patched up, we were assigned rooms in what looked like someone's actual house.

"With the number of refugees we have, we're going to have to set you up in someone's home," Priyanka explained apologetically.

"We don't want to put anybody out," I objected.

"They volunteered," she said in a no-nonsense tone. "They're happy to help."

All right then. So I went to a really nice couple's home and they led me over to a bedroom. If someone asked me what their names were later, I know I wouldn't remember. But I would be forever grateful to them. The sight of the bed made me feel every ache. I didn't waste any time going over to it. I immediately face-planted and passed out.

I woke up only when hands slid down my back.

"Can't you stay out of trouble for once?"

I rolled over to see Ashur sitting at the side of my bed, dark circles under his eyes, his hair disheveled.

"This one was completely not my fault," I retorted gently, taking his hand in mine.

He looked like he'd been worrying.

"I know," he sighed. "But when I heard that there had been an attack..." He shook his head. "I don't know how many more heart attacks I can take," he joked, but his eyes were serious.

I sat up and hugged him to me, breathing in his scent, the comfort of his body against mine.

"I'm fine." I reassured him as I used his solidness to reassure myself. "Just banged up a little."

He nodded, squeezing me to him gingerly, as if afraid he might hurt me more. We sat there for a few minutes, just existing. Taking a moment to steady ourselves. But then Ashur pulled back, cupping the side of my face.

"Priyanka is waiting for us to interrogate the prisoners they took."

Back to the real world. I slid out of the bed.

"Just give me a second."

I used the bathroom and splashed some water on my face to wake up some more. When I looked in the mirror, I looked as tired as I felt, but it would have to do.

We were led over to the prisoners being held in nearby building. They weren't in a cell though.

They were in what could only be described as an interrogation room, shackled to chairs with people surrounding them already. They looked more beat up then I did, but they hadn't had a chance to lie down either.

Priyanka saw us walk in and stepped away from the wall, her slim figure dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, both in an off-white that set off the warm brown of her skin.

"What were your orders?" she asked, sauntering around the room.

Neither of the prisoners spoke up.

One was a man who might have been in his late twenties, his strawberry blond hair matted on one side, his face scraped raw on the other. His counterpart was a woman maybe in her mid-thirties, her dark hair cut close to her head. There was a dark bruise along her entire jaw on one side and a cut on her eyebrow. Both of their faces were stoic.

Priyanka nodded as if she was expecting it.

"We're going to find out whether you speak or not," she said idly. "You might as well tell us."

That didn't elicit a response either. It kept going like that, with Priyanka peppering them with question after question. They didn't open up their mouths once.

Ashur finally stepped forward.

"We could always just truss you up and drop you off in Emberich's territory," Ashur pointed out, his eyes on them.

I watched them tense up for the first time, glancing at each other. Emberich had been sure to strike true fear in his people's hearts. What a gem.

Ashur pressed his advantage.

"I'm sure he won't be very happy with you for not succeeding on your very simple mission. And for being captured on top of that," Ashur added, giving a regretful shake of his head. "But I'm sure he'd be understanding, right?"

The woman opened her mouth.

"Lina, no," the guy urged, leaning towards her like he wanted to slam a hand over her mouth. But he was shackled just like her.

"I didn't agree with the orders anyway, Sean," she said tiredly. She met Ashur's gaze. "Emberich sent out troops to attack any dragons transporting supplies." She looked over at me. "It's not just about her anymore. He's calling phoenixes to his stronghold." She shook her head, her face pained. "He's preparing for war."

"War with us?" Ashur prodded.

She shrugged.

"If you want it," she said. "I don't even know anymore. He's always been off, but what he's doing now to our own people..." she trailed off. "I don't know."

We didn't get a lot more out of them after that, but we got we needed. Ashur, Priyanka, and I left the room and walked outside.

"This is a real clusterfuck," Priyanka commented.

That about summed it up.

"We need to do something about Emberich now. We can't wait until after we take care of the refugees," I said quietly.

"We're going to have to call another meeting," Ashur said grimly.

I had no idea how this one was going to go, which was par for the course, I guess. But dealing with the problem on your doorstep was one thing. Planning an active effort, making the conscious decision to do so...that was a whole different animal.

I'd keep my fingers crossed.