Free Finding the Wolf(The Dragon's Hoard #1) by Mell Eight Page B

supplies for the castle all travelled the road to get to the gates. The guards didn't appear to be paying much attention to the throng down below.
    "Well?" Leon asked Nyle softly even though his voice would not be heard over the tumult from the road.
    "I don't see anyone with stripes in their hair," Nyle replied, remembering Nel, the werewolf envoy's, warning that all magi had discolored hair growing from their temples.
    "I don't either," Leon answered. "Where should we do this?" They couldn't go through the gate onto the castle grounds like Gail because the guards knew their faces. Instead, they would be creating a new gate for themselves.
    Nyle pointed towards a depression in the wall where someone's cart had no doubt crashed and bent the stones out of shape. "If I breathe fire there, I should be able to blow the stones out and we can get onto the grounds that way."
    Leon nodded. "All right, well it's almost time. Should we go?"
    Nyle nodded, but reached forward to grip Leon's hand quickly before letting go and stepping out into the street.
    They blended into the crowd, just two more laborers to unload the day's grain for the castle kitchens, as they worked their way towards the depression in the stone. Nyle reached it first, with Leon quickly behind him, when what sounded like an explosion from ahead went off.
    Nyle looked quickly at Leon. "Hatch-mother!" he gasped. She was a few minutes early and drawing major attention to herself.
    "The only way to help her now is to set off our own explosion," Leon said quickly when Nyle wanted to run off to help her. "A second distraction to separate the guard," Leon explained.
    Nyle gulped but looked resolute as he returned his attention to the wall in front of him. Screams from ahead surrounded them as merchants and servants alike ran from the fire at the main gate, but Nyle blocked it out as best he could. His mother would be all right. She was centuries old and canny despite her apparent lack of sense.
    Nyle took a deep breath and let it out as flames. The rock was quick to start glowing red and Nyle increased the heat and strength of his fire when the screaming began to start around him. It wasn't long before the stone started to melt, lava flowing away from the wall to pool on the ground.
    Nyle almost didn't notice when arrows started to rain down on his head, but Leon kept him safe by using his werewolf speed to knock the arrows away before they could strike.
    Finally the hole in the wall was big enough to fit through and Nyle could pull away. The sides were still cherry red and while Nyle could go through without being burnt, Leon would be severely hurt.
    More arrows rained down and Nyle was quick to turn them into harmless ash before they could land.
    "Go ahead of me!" Leon snapped. He had his head cocked to the side and Nyle took a second to listen as well. Gail's explosion must have alerted Bast's forces in the city, because the clanging sounds of swords striking swords could be heard. The battle was on in earnest and the castle wasn't on fire yet! Everything was falling apart and only the first five minutes of their plans had elapsed.
    Nyle took one last look at Leon, and Leon, sensing Nyle's disquiet at their separation, looked back. Then, before Nyle could change his mind about leaving his most important pretty behind, he spun away and pushed through his cooling hole in the castle walls.
    The other side of the wall was chaos as well. Soldiers rushed towards the main gates, which Nyle could see had been set on fire. Gail was there in her dragon form, towering over everyone and shooting flames, but held in place by the advancing swords and the rain of arrows bouncing off her scales. Nyle wanted to go over and help her, but Leon was right. She could take care of herself and the castle needed to be on fire to convince the magi to move their focus away from the flames for any of their plans to work.
    The guards on the wall hadn't noticed his transfer onto the castle grounds. To