by Julie Kagawa
That sounds ominous. A familiar key card slot blinked at me as I eased up to the human-size door, and I grimaced as I pulled out my stolen card. Let’s hope this thing works here, too, I thought, and swiped it through the reader.
The light beeped green, and I slipped into the habitat of a pregnant Adult dragon.
It was even warmer in here, and humid, reminding me again of the jungle where Ouroboros had staked his territory. I felt sweat form on my brow and run down my neck. My boots squelched in soft dirt as I turned carefully, searching the vegetation. Okay, so where is this dragon Wes is so worried about—?
I felt her approach before I saw it; a low growl rippled through the air, and the branches rattled as a twenty-foot crimson dragon stalked out of the shadows and came right at me.
I stood my ground, holding up my hands to indicate I wasn’t a threat, as the Adult female prowled close and stopped, her muzzle just a few feet away. Her teeth were slightly bared, and smoke curled from her nostrils as we stared at each other. Golden eyes narrowed as they met mine, puzzled and suspicious but not entirely hostile. I didn’t move, keeping my hands raised and empty, but careful not to show any fear. I didn’t think she would attack and savage me like a mother bear, but I was a stranger, and I had invaded the territory of a nesting female dragon; her protective instincts would be very high right now. Add imprisonment, restlessness and poor treatment at the hands of her human captors, and that probably wasn’t doing a lot for her disposition.
On second thought, she was showing remarkable restraint not biting me in half like a twig. Maybe I should’ve had a little more foresight before barging in unannounced.
The dragon stared at me, then curled her lip back, just enough to show fangs. “Who are you?” she demanded, though she kept her voice low and quiet. Well, as quiet as a twenty-foot dragon could be. “You don’t work here. I’ve never seen you before.” Her eyes glittered, the tip of her tail swishing an agitated rhythm behind her. “Have you come from Talon? What do you want with me?”
“Scarlett.” I stretched a hand toward her, keeping my movements slow and my tone soothing. “My name is Cobalt. I’m not here to hurt you. I came to get you all out of here. Tonight.”
“Cobalt.” The dragon’s voice was flat. Sitting back, she raised her head with a sniff, then peered down at me with sorrowful eyes. “So, you’re not a myth, after all.”
“No,” I agreed. “I’m not. Sorry it took me so long, but it’s over now. We’re leaving this place, and you’ll never have to see it again.”
The dragon sighed. “Maybe for everyone else,” she said, sounding weary all of a sudden. “But it’s too late for me. There’s no way off the island. I’m too close to nesting, so I can’t fly very far. And I certainly can’t swim to the nearest continent.”
“You won’t have to,” I told her. “I didn’t come alone. There’s a ship waiting about two hundred yards off the western side of the island. You won’t have to swim far.”
“We’ll never make it,” Scarlett insisted. “You’re going to get us all killed before we ever reach the water.”
“Do you not want to get out of here?” I asked, frustrated.
“Of course I do!” Her tail lashed, causing a handful of leaves and twigs to flutter to the ground. “But have you seen what lies between us and the beach?” She shook her horned head, curling her talons in the dirt. “We’d have to go through an army of humans and guns. And Director Vance. He’s not going to let us just walk out.” She shivered, folding her wings tight to her body. “I’ve been here longer than almost everyone now,” she whispered, a haunted look going through her eyes. “I’ve seen what happens to dragons who try to escape. I’ve talked a few of them out of it myself. We won’t get past the fence before we’re gunned down. Talon would rather kill us all than let us go free.”
“Scarlett, listen to me.” I stepped forward and put a hand on one scaly foreleg. She blinked and gazed down with resigned gold eyes. “I know what I’m doing,” I told her softly. “There is a plan in motion as we speak. I have friends, well, not exactly friends, but people, both on the island and outside, who are committed to getting you all out of here.” I didn’t want to go into the details of how we had convinced the Order of St. George to help us, and there was no time to explain even if I did. “We didn’t go into this expecting it to be easy, but we didn’t come unprepared, either. Right now, I need you to trust me. Can you do that?”
The dragon sighed out a long, writhing cloud of smoke and bowed her head. For a moment, she stood there, huge body coiled and tense, her talons curled in the dirt. Finally, she relaxed and looked at me, her voice becoming a growl. “If there is really a chance to leave this place,” she rumbled, “I will take it. And maybe I’ll bite some heads off on my way out. What do you need me to do?”
Relief flickered, but I couldn’t be distracted now. “When I give the order,” I said, “things are going to get crazy. I don’t have time to sneak around to every cell and let the others know what’s going on, not without being spotted by the guards. When the shit hits the fan, I need you to rally the other dragons. You’re the biggest and oldest here—they’ll listen to you. Let them know what’s happening, and then be ready to move on my signal. Will you do that?”
Scarlett nodded, but then a soft beep jerked my attention behind me. I spun, just as the door opened and a man walked into the room, the same doctor who had been speaking to Director Vance earlier.
“Scarlett,” the doctor was saying as he came forward. “I’ve just received word from the director. You are to be...”
He stopped, eyes going wide as he saw me, but I was already moving. Lunging, I grabbed the human by the collar and shoved the barrel of my gun in his face, pressing him back to the wall. The human gasped, and his clipboard dropped to the floor.
“Shh, Doctor,” I growled, smiling at him over the firearm. “Don’t make any stupid decisions. I’d hate for this to go off at such a short range.”
“Who are you?” The human’s voice trembled; he stared at me, then glanced over my shoulder at Scarlett. A sheen of sweat covered his brow, but that might’ve been from the heat. “How did you get in here? If you’ve hurt any of these creatures—”
“Hurt them?” I bared my teeth in a vicious smile. “Trust me, human. I’m not like you. I’m taking your ‘creatures’ out of here, far away, where you and Talon will never get your filthy hands on them again.”
“Cobalt, wait.” Scarlett strode forward, her shadow climbing the wall as she loomed over us. “Don’t hurt him. Dr. Miles is a good man. He’s not like the other Talon servants. He really does look out for us, as much as he can.”
I gave a dubious snort, but the human stared at me, his eyes going even wider behind his spectacles. “You...you’ll really take them away?” he whispered. “All of them? You have a plan to get them out of here, without being killed?”
I nodded warily.
“Good.” The human gave a fervent nod, gripping my shirt. “Good! Take them. Do what you want with me, but get them as far away from Talon as you can. They don’t deserve to be here. Nothing deserves the kind of treatment the organization inflicts on their own kind. If you can really get them all away from Talon...” He shook his head, his eyes a little watery as he looked at Scarlett. “Your name is on the deportation list,” he told her, and I felt the dragon stiffen behind me. “And we both know that dragons who leave the facility are never heard from again. If there is a chance for you to escape Talon, you must take it.”
“Will you help us?” Scarlett asked before I could say anything. I wanted to glare back at her, but didn’t want to take my eyes of the doctor, either. “You can get to places we cannot, Doctor. Will you help us, one last time?”
“Hang on a second,” I growled. “What makes you think I’m about to trust this guy? If he alerts any of the guards, this operation is done. None of us are getting out alive.”
>
“Then knock me out, or leave me here,” Dr. Miles said. “I won’t stop you. But...” He closed his eyes for a moment, then continued in a strained voice. “I can get to the security room, and open all the cells at once. That would make things easier for you, wouldn’t it? Leaving the island, however...” He met my gaze. “I don’t know how you’re going to get everyone past the guards and the security, but you made it this far, so I assume you have a plan for escape.”
“Dammit,” I muttered. I was going to have Wes try to unlock the cell doors, but if this human could open them all at once, that would make getting out of here a lot easier. If he didn’t sell us out.
“We can trust him, Cobalt,” Scarlett said, as if reading my thoughts. “I trust him. He won’t betray us to Talon.”
I set my jaw. “Fine,” I muttered, and stepped back, lowering the gun. “But if you double-cross us, let all their deaths be on your head, and know that I will come for you even if it kills me. How soon can you get to the place you need to be?”
“Two minutes” was the reply. “How much time do you need?”
“That should be enough. I’ll give my team the two-minute warning. Don’t throw the locks until you hear it start.”
“Hear...what start?”
I smiled coldly. “You’ll know when it begins. Trust me.”
The human paled but pushed himself off the wall and hurried to the door. “Give me two minutes from the time I walk out,” he said over his shoulder. “And Scarlett...good luck to you. Tell the rest of them I hope their lives will be better.”
“I will,” the dragon said solemnly. “Thank you, Doctor. For everything.”
He nodded once more and vanished through the frame.
“Mist,” I growled into the com as soon as the door had closed. “We’re about to start. Where is everyone?”
“All here” came the instant reply. “Everyone is gathered, and the soldiers are ready. Waiting on your order.”
“Good.” I checked my watch. One minute, thirty-nine seconds till go time. “Stand by.” I switched channels and growled, “You there, St. George?”
“Yes.”
“In position?”
“Ready and waiting.”
“Okay.” I counted down the last few seconds and took a deep breath. “Light it up.”
Garret
“Bravo is in position.” I raised the night vision binoculars and saw the large front gate, flanked by two watchtowers, that led into the main compound. Ember crouched beside me, in human form for now, though I could almost feel the buzz of energy surrounding her, ready to explode into wings and scales. I looked behind me at the soldier with the RPG aimed at the compound, and nodded. “Fire.”
With a deafening hiss and a line of smoke, the rocket-propelled missile slammed into the heavy iron gates, and the explosion that lit up the sky could probably be heard for miles. Almost immediately, spotlights flared to life in the towers, sweeping down to rake the ground in front of us, and shouts of alarm echoed through the ruined gates, getting closer every second.
Here we go. I glanced at Ember, who caught my eye and offered a grim smile, as the soldiers around us raised their guns and dug into position. “Don’t get killed, soldier boy,” she ordered, reaching down to squeeze my arm “We’re going home after this. All of us.”
I smiled. “Count on it.”
Men poured through the shattered gates, and the soldiers around me opened fire, filling the air with the howl of machine guns. I raised my weapon and joined the fray as Ember Shifted and launched herself skyward with a blast of wind. Her chilling battle cry rose over the screams and roar of gunfire, and everything dissolved into chaos.
I knelt behind a tree, firing short, controlled bursts at the enemy before ducking back into cover to avoid retaliation. The enemy guards, once they realized they had been ambushed, quickly sought cover behind the walls and shattered gate. There were more than I’d first thought, and they wisely did not press forward to engage us in the open, returning fire from the safety of their walls and towers. The spotlight raked over the ground, pinning a soldier in its glare one second before he was torn to pieces by gunfire.
“We need to take down those towers!” Ward’s voice hissed in my ear. “Sebastian, you’re close. See if you can draw its fire. Matthews, be ready to take the gunners out when he does.”
I gritted my teeth. For a split second, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was a ploy to get me killed. But I was a soldier, and he was my commanding officer. I had to trust he knew what he was doing.
I popped out of cover, firing several rounds at the closest watchtower, trying to see past the blinding circle of light as it swung around. Just before it reached me, I dove behind the tree again, and a storm of bullets peppered the trunk, tearing chunks from the wood and showering me with splinters. I huddled against my vanishing cover, expecting a round in my back at any moment.
There was a Draconic roar of fury, a flare of orange light that lit up the forest, and the storm of bullets abruptly ceased. I peeked around the shredded trunk to see the watchtower on fire, flames pouring from the roof and out the sides, as a small crimson dragon wheeled around to strafe it again. Cries of alarm rang out, and shots were fired after her, but Ember twisted in midair and darted into the trees.
“Press forward!” Ward snapped, sounding grimly pleased. “All units, take the wall. Don’t give them a chance to recover.”
We converged on the gate, using Ember’s distraction to gain ground quickly. But as we approached the wall, a shiver ran up my spine, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up. Something was coming...
I glanced up just as a massive shadow fell from the sky, landing in front of the gate with a crash that shook the ground. Spreading its wings, a huge, dark green Adult raised its head and glared down at us, hatred and loathing shining brightly in its yellow gaze.
“St. George.” Contempt dripped from the dragon’s voice as the rest of my unit fell back, raising their guns. “How dare you butchers come here. Is there no place we can be free of you?” With a snarl, it lowered its neck and spread its wings, as if blocking the path to the compound. “Your assault ends here,” it growled, and I saw the telltale swelling of its sides that made my adrenaline spike. “I will kill you all before I let you touch our females!”
I threw myself aside as the dragon’s jaws opened and the inferno rushed forth like the blast of a rocket engine. The dragon swept its head around, searing the ground and catching a pair of soldiers in the flames. They cried out and reeled away, blazing like torches, before crumpling to the grass.
“Kill it!” Ward snarled, unnecessarily, as the remaining soldiers opened fire. The Adult roared, rearing up as bullets tore into its body or sparked off its armored chest plates. “Kill it now!”
With a roar and a blast of flame, the dragon lunged into the midst of the soldiers. One swipe from a huge forepaw sent several of them flying. Its jaws snaked down, grabbed another soldier and hurled him into the wall with a sickening crack. I rolled to my feet in the embers and smoking grass, sparks and burning debris drifting all around me, and raised my weapon, but gunfire rang out from behind the wall as the enemy guards pressed their advantage, and I had to duck behind a tree to avoid taking fire. Between the raging dragon and the guards, we were forced to fall back, giving way under the relentless assault of fire and lead.
“Tristan!” I hissed into the com as bullets peppered the tree I crouched behind. “Do you see this?”
“Yeah.” My partner’s voice was tight with frustration. “I do, but the thing’s staying back behind the wall. I only have a bead on its front, which might not do anything even if it does hit. I can’t get a clean shot.”
I looked back toward the battle. Ward was still shouting orders over the bark of his own rifle, standing his ground even as the dragon sliced through his unit like paper. It lashed o
ut with a claw, knocking the last of the soldiers away, and suddenly it was just Ward, standing alone in front of an Adult dragon. The dragon lunged, and Ward leaped back to avoid the snapping fangs, but hit a chunk of broken wall and fell, sprawling to his back. Still firing his weapon, to no avail. The Adult stalked forward, ignoring the rounds that sparked off its chest plates. I could see the triumph in the dragon’s eyes as it took a breath, and I knew I was about to watch the strike team commander get incinerated.
The flames roared from the dragon’s jaws, blazing a hellish orange-red, and Ward disappeared into the blaze. I clenched my fist against the trunk, angry that I hadn’t been able to do anything. Despite my personal feelings and his blatant hatred for me and my dragon friends, his death would still be a blow to St. George, and we couldn’t take much more of them.
The inferno flickered and died away, and my eyes widened. Ward still sprawled over the ground, head turned away as if bracing himself to die, the grass around him charred to a crisp. Ember stood over him, head lowered and wings spread, glaring up at the Adult dragon with defiant green eyes. She’d used her own fireproof body to shield the lieutenant, and the Adult snorted in surprise as the flames disappeared.
“Ember Hill?” Cocking his head, the Adult regarded her, puzzled. “You...why are you here? Did you come to assault this base with St. George? But I thought you and Cobalt...”
He trailed off, yellow eyes suddenly widening with realization and alarm. “Cobalt,” he muttered, turning back toward the buildings. “He’s here. On this island. He’s come for my breeders!”
Ignoring us all and the shots still being fired in his direction, the huge Adult opened his wings, launched into the air and streaked back the way he came. Toward the facilities, Cobalt and the females.