by Julie Kagawa
“Damn.” He sighed, shaking his head. “They told me you were dead. That you and Sarah had died in the raid. If I had known...” He trailed off.
“What?” I challenged. “Would you have done anything? Would you have searched for me? Tried to get me back?” I nodded to the huge tanks surrounding us, the Adult clones that hovered beyond the glass. “Or would you have kept working for them? Knowing that you were helping the Elder Wyrm take over the world? You must’ve known what she was doing. You can’t claim ignorance when you helped create this.”
“Helped create?” Dr. Olsen gazed up at the vessels, smiling. “You don’t understand,” he murmured. “These are my greatest achievements. The cumulation of my life’s work. Science and magic, blended together to create something entirely new. I would sell my soul, again, for the opportunities Talon afforded me.” His gaze swept to me again, hardening. “I will not see them destroyed by the boy I’d given up for dead!”
“Garret!” Ember rushed up, followed by the other three. “The vessels have blocked that side of the chamber and are heading in this direction.” She panted. “We can’t go back the way we came.”
I turned to the scientist. “Dr. Olsen,” I began, unable to call him...that other word. “You need to come with us. This place is going to blow in a few minutes. There’s no time—”
“No.” He shook his head, and his eyes were a little glassy now. “You don’t understand,” he went on, turning back to the panel. “This is my life’s work. I can’t leave them. I might be able to save a few.”
“You can’t save them,” I argued, suddenly furious. “If you stay here, you’re going to die, along with everything else in this room.”
“Garret,” Tristan said in warning, just as a shot rang out. Lightning fast, Mist turned and fired her pistol at the vessel who appeared between the vats, and it collapsed to the cement. But more were coming; I could see their shadows moving across the floor, blurry shapes of both human and dragon sliding behind the vats.
Torn, I gave the scientist one last, desperate look. He ignored us all, fiddling with the panel, muttering to himself. A light at the top suddenly flashed on, blinking red in warning, and an automated voice announced: “Warning, system override in process. Awakening procedure starting in five...four...three...”
“Dammit, we gotta move, Sebastian,” Matthews snarled at me. “Now!”
With an inner curse, I turned and fled with the others, pushing farther toward the back of the chamber. I didn’t know where we were going exactly, or how we would escape.
“Garret!”
I turned back to see Dr. Olsen watching me, illuminated red in the flashing light of the tank.
“Take the emergency elevator in the back left corner,” he called, his voice barely audible over the warning buzz coming from the vat. “It will take you up to the first floor, provided you have a key card to operate it.” He gave a half smile and mouthed something that I couldn’t hear, but in the dim light of the chamber, I could almost imagine it was, Good luck, son.
I spun and ran for the corner as shots followed me into the dark.
“Dammit,” Tristan muttered as I caught up to the group, taking cover behind a pair of large columns. “They keep pushing us back. I don’t see any way to go around them.” He glanced at the pillar, where one of the explosives stared back, blinking ominously. “Less than eight minutes to go.” He sighed. “At least it’ll be quick.”
“Fuck that,” Peter Matthews sneered, and raised his weapon. “I’m not going to sit on my ass and wait for it to explode. If I’m dying here, I’m sure as hell taking as many lizards with me as I can.”
“No one is dying,” I said firmly, meeting Ember’s gaze from where she huddled behind the second pillar. “There’s an emergency elevator that will take us to the surface if we can reach it. Ember, do you still have the key Dante gave you?”
She nodded, took the card from the cord around her neck and tossed it to me. “In case I have to Shift again,” she said, her voice strangely calm.
“Here they come!” Mist snapped as a half dozen gray dragons bounded toward us through the aisles. Gunfire followed them, sparking off pillars and ringing through the air. The tank above us cracked, leaking greenish fluid that steamed as it trickled down the glass.
“This way!” I called, and we ran for the back of the room, keeping our heads down, hearing the shrieks of the vessels as they gave chase. Ember and Mist Shifted while running, giving them greater speed and a little protection from flying bullets, while the rest of us wove around columns and tanks, trying to keep obstacles between us and the advancing guards.
There was a sound above me, the faint flap of wings overhead, making my blood chill. I glanced back to see a pair of vessels swooping toward us through the aisle, weaving around vats.
“Incoming!” I called, and spun around to fire at one vessel lunging in from the air. It shrieked as it flew into a hail of bullets, and I ducked out of the way as it crashed, fracturing one of the tanks as it did. Greenish fluid hissed to the floor and over the body of the vessel, filling the air with steam and a foul, almost fishy smell.
A yell rang out through the aisle, jerking my attention around. Peter Matthews lay on his back with a dragon atop him, biting and clawing. As I started toward them, the vessel’s head snaked toward Matthews’s face, and the soldier gave a ragged scream as narrow jaws closed around his neck.
With a flash of scales, both Ember and Mist slammed into the clone, knocking it away. It tumbled to the floor, bounced upright with a snarl and then jerked wildly as Tristan and I put several rounds into its body.
“Matthews,” I called as the vessel slumped lifelessly to the ground. “You all right?”
A raspy gurgle was my response, making my blood run cold. The soldier tried to sit up but slumped back as we hurried over. One look at his face told me everything. Blood soaked his collar and streamed from the side of his neck where the vessel had savaged his throat. With the amount of blood he was losing, he had a few minutes at most.
“Stupid,” he rasped, glaring at me as we eased him into a sitting position against a vat. “Why’re you still here, Sebastian? Get going, the elevator is just ahead.”
“Dammit.” I rose, hating myself. I’d never liked Matthews, but he was still part of my team; I was responsible for all the lives under my command. “I’m sorry,” I told him, backing away. He sneered.
“Don’t be. I get to see the end.” He raised his weapon, bloody lips curling in a smirk. “I get to say I saved your sorry ass from the lizards, one more time.” His gaze flickered to Ember, standing at my shoulder, and he gave a tiny nod. “Try not to eat too much of his soul,” he told her. “You’d probably choke on it.”
More shots echoed around us, and Tristan cried out and slumped to one knee. Heart racing, I dropped to his side, and Matthews swore.
“Dammit, get the fuck out of here, Sebastian! I’m tired of seeing your face. Go!”
Slinging Tristan’s arm over my neck, I went, Ember and Mist at our heels, as Peter Matthews’s defiant voice rang out behind us, punctuated by the sound of gunfire.
“Yeah, you like that? Come on then, you ugly bastards! Come get some!”
“There’s the elevator,” said Mist, still as calm and practical as ever. It sat in the corner, a small metal box surrounded by iron lattice, a relic of the coal-mining era. Ancient-looking, except for the modern keypad near the doors. As Ember and Mist Shifted back, taking Tristan’s weight, I stepped forward and shoved the plastic card into the slot. The keypad blinked on, and with a groaning and squeaking of gears, the elevator began to descend. Slowly.
“Garret,” Ember called, and I turned back to face a swarm of dragons closing in from all sides. As the elevator clanked slowly overhead, I stepped forward and raised my gun, firing into the horde, hearing Ember and Mist do the same.
“Let me go,” Tris
tan ordered, a second before his shots joined ours. Vessels screamed and collapsed, but more crept forward to take their place, blank silver eyes glowing in the shadows. The four of us stood back-to-back, holding our ground, but the swarm of dragons still pressed closer. A shot echoed from the darkness, and something hit me in the thigh, making me stagger.
Behind us, the elevator doors opened with a ding.
“Fall back!” I gasped, and we edged backward, still firing into the horde. I felt another bullet graze my arm, and then we were inside the box. Mist slammed her thumb into the door panel, but just as the doors were sliding shut, a scaly head burst through the opening and latched on to my leg, pulling me off my feet. I was yanked partway through the doors before Ember stuck her arm through the opening and shot the vessel clinging to me point-blank in the head. As it reeled away, several hands grabbed my arms and vest, dragging me back into the elevator. The doors finally closed, shutting out the chaos beyond and plunging the box into darkness.
Panting, I relaxed against the press of bodies that surrounded me, feeling their harsh breathing match my own.
“Everyone okay?” I finally husked out. “Tristan?”
“I’ll live” was the strained reply. “But you’re not looking so hot yourself, Garret. At least I’m not the one bleeding all over the floor.”
“Nothing serious,” I said, though standing up seemed hard right now. Ember’s grip on me tightened, and I put a hand on her arm, squeezing gently to reassure her. The box inched upward, creaking and rattling. “How much time do we have left?” I asked Tristan.
He gave a dark chuckle. “You don’t want to know.”
Not enough, then. I slumped against Ember, feeling a peaceful resignation creep over me. So, this was it. After everything we’d been through, all the narrow scrapes and traps and close calls, our time had finally run out. I would die in an explosion of my own making, along with Talon’s army of vessels that were meant to take over the world.
All in all, not a bad way to go, I mused, feeling the heat from the dragon beside me, the warmth of her against my back. At least my death would mean something. There was a moment of regret, where I wished Ember could have seen the end of this war. But at least, for the dragons and humans that came after us, the world would be a little safer.
“Just out of curiosity,” Ember asked, “what will happen when this place explodes? Will it reach all the way up here?”
In the corner, Mist raised her head. “The explosion itself won’t reach us,” she replied, “but the fires will shoot up the elevator shaft and bring the entire thing down. Not even a dragon could survive that fall. We could fly, but that would mean leaving the humans, and I know you’re not going to do that.”
“You could go, Mist.” Ember gave the other dragon a nod of understanding. “Riley is waiting for you, isn’t he? No need for all of us to die here.”
“No.” Mist shook her head and looked away with a sigh. “I wouldn’t be able to face him if I left you now. It seems his disturbing sense of loyalty has rubbed off on me. So...” A faint smile crossed her face, as if she couldn’t believe herself. “I guess we’re all going down together.”
My earpiece suddenly sputtered, and Wes’s voice crackled in my ear.
“St. George? Are you there? Can you hear me?”
I straightened, causing Ember to draw back slightly, and sat up, putting a hand to my ear. “I’m here, Wes.”
“Bloody hell, where the fuck have you been?” the hacker spat at me. “I’ve been trying to contact you for over thirty minutes. What the hell happened in there?”
“They were waiting for us,” I told him. “They must’ve jammed all communications on the last floor. We just got out a couple minutes ago.”
“Dammit,” Wes muttered. “I knew this was a trap, I just knew it. Damn it all to hell, Riley, why do you never listen to anything I tell you?” He gave a sigh that sounded more weary than angry. “So, the mission was a bloody catastrophe, is what you’re saying. You didn’t get the explosives planted.”
I took a deep breath. “The mission was a success. We found the stasis chamber with the Adult vessels and planted all the explosives, as planned. Give the signal to retreat, Wes. It’s going to blow in...” I glanced at my watch, and closed my eyes. “Fifty-eight seconds.”
“Shit,” Wes breathed. “Right, sending the signal now... Wait, where’s your team, St. George? Are you bloody still in there?”
“We’ll be fine,” I said wearily. “Sebastian out.” And, ignoring his horrified protests, took the mic and earpiece out and let them fall.
For a moment, the four of us sat there in silence, lost in our own thoughts as the final seconds ticked away. At my back, Ember pressed close, slipping her arms around me, and I curled my fingers over hers. Tristan leaned against the wall, his blue eyes dark and far away, and I wondered what was going through his head. As for me, I had no regrets. This was a good death, saving the world. You really couldn’t ask for a better one.
Then Ember jumped to her feet, eyes blazing green in the darkness of the box. “Dammit,” she growled. “I am not dying here. Everyone, get up! We’re getting out of this place, all of us, right now!”
Riley
A flare streaked across my vision, cutting a bright orange path across the sky.
I leaped to my feet, watching as another followed, then another, arcing through the sky and leaving trails of smoke behind them.
Damn, that’s the retreat signal. They did it!
Shifting immediately, I launched myself off the cliff and flew as fast as I could toward the laboratory. As I drew close, I saw that most everyone was in full retreat, falling back to the front gate. I saw soldiers helping the wounded across the field, while hatchlings and dragonells covered their escape, engaging or intercepting the vessels that still pursued. Lieutenant Ward staggered toward the gate with a half-burned soldier leaning on him, still shouting orders to his men. And overhead, a very bloody, angry Eastern dragon swirled back and forth, keeping the rest of the clones busy while our forces escaped.
“Jade!” I swooped to meet her, dodging the end of a long thrashing tail. She coiled around to face me, dropping the carcass of a vessel as she did. Her scales were streaked with red, deep puncture wounds covering her body, and she held one foreleg tight against her stomach. “St. George and the others,” I panted, rearing back and beating my wings to hover in front of her. “Do you know if they got out?”
She shook her head. “I haven’t seen them. But we cannot look for them now. Our job is to make sure everyone else gets away safely.”
“Dammit, I know that! I just...” I gritted my teeth, glancing toward the laboratory, where several men and women in white coats were fleeing through the front doors. “I hope they got out in time,” I muttered.
Another flare streaked across the sky, leaving trails of smoke behind and making us both look up. “That’s the final signal,” I growled. “And we’ve saved all that can be saved. Let’s get out of here.”
Turning, we fled across the barren yard, and not a moment too soon. With a flash and a rumble that shook the ground, the entrance behind us exploded in a howl of flame, rock and debris. Fiery bits pelted my scales as I soared away, dodging falling rocks as best I could, feeling the immense heat of the explosion behind me. The energy blast nearly knocked me out of the air, but I stayed aloft with a few desperate flaps and soared toward the edge of the yard.
A raucous cheer went up as Jade and I joined the others in front of the gate. Soldiers and dragons alike stood side by side, giddy with triumph and relief. Our numbers were smaller, I noticed; a quick head count revealed that twelve dragons had survived, with only a handful of St. George soldiers still on their feet. Better than I had hoped for, really, and given what we’d just been through I was happy that anyone made it out.
But every loss hurt. Especially as I gazed around and realized
several key players were still missing.
“Dragon!”
Lieutenant Ward stepped forward, pushing his way between a soldier and a hatchling, to face me. “Have you heard from Martin?” he asked brusquely. “Or Sebastian’s team?”
I swallowed hard. “Martin is dead,” I said gravely, and his expression darkened. “He died...saving my life from a Viper. And I haven’t heard from any of the others.”
Ward sighed, gazing back toward the lab entrance, which was now impossible to see beyond the billowing cloud of smoke rising into the air. “Your hacker friend says he lost contact with them while they were still in the lab,” he said, making my heart plummet. “Given that, we can only assume that they didn’t make it out.” His jaw tightened, his next words spoken with grudging respect. “They knew going in that it was a suicide mission. They died bravely, saving the world from Talon.”
Numb, I backed away from him. It didn’t seem possible that Ember, St. George and the rest of them were gone. I knew the odds had been against us, but hell, they always were. Somehow, no matter how hopeless the circumstances, Ember would always pull out of it; she was just too damn stubborn to die. If obstinacy failed, St. George usually had something up his sleeve that could turn the tables. And Mist was too slippery to let Death catch up to her.
You weren’t supposed to die, I thought furiously. Damn every one of you, we were supposed to come out of this together, or not at all. I can’t be the only one who survived.
“Riley,” said Jade, raising her head. Her voice was full of wary hope as she gazed back toward the lab. “Look.”
I spun. Two dark shapes were winging their way out of the smoke, gliding toward the ground. They wobbled in the air, and they were so covered in soot and ash it was almost impossible to tell their color, but I thought I saw a glint of crimson, of silver-white scales, as they half soared, half fell toward the rocks.
Forgetting everything else, I sprang forward, hearing the rest of the hatchlings and soldiers follow. Trailing smoke and ash, the two dragons glided toward us, but were either too hurt or exhausted to make a landing and collapsed as they hit the ground, rolling several feet in a tangle of limbs and wings. The humans were thrown off and went tumbling over the earth, as well, until they, too, came to a painful stop.