by Julie Kagawa
“Well, we found her, and some of her friends,” Tristan muttered, taking the goggles back to stare through them again. “All human, for now, anyway. I wonder if she’s going to do anything interesting—”
She didn’t, but at that moment, the woman surged up in the blink of an eye, making my stomach leap into my throat. I tensed, hardly believing my eyes, as a monstrous adult dragon unfurled dark leathery wings and shook the cliffs with her roar.
“Shit!” Tristan scrambled back from the edge. “Well, that answers my question, doesn’t it? Looks like the girl was our sleeper all along!” I didn’t answer, unable to tear my gaze from the scene below. I watched the green dragon lunge at Ember with teeth bared, watched the boy shift into the blue dragon from earlier that night and attack the much larger adult.
“We found them.” Tristan’s voice rang with urgency as he spoke into his phone. “Three targets, Lone Rock Cove. One of them is an adult. Should we hold position until the squad arrives?” He paused, listening, as my heart beat faster with alarm. “Understood.”
I spared one more glance at the battle below. Ember, now in her true form, leaped at the adult’s back, but was smashed aside by the green dragon’s long, whiplike tail. My heart skipped a beat as she flew back, tumbling to the sand, and the huge adult pounced on her viciously. My insides seized up, but the blue dragon lunged in with a roar, driving her away, allowing me to breathe again. But it was obvious they were both outmatched. The adult was bigger, faster and more vicious than either of them. If I went down there now, I would be a traitor to my Order. But if I stayed here, Ember could die.
“Yes, sir. St. Anthony, out.” Tristan put away the phone and took the rifle from his shoulder, lying on his stomach at the edge of the cliff. My heart lurched as he lowered the gun and gazed through the sight, pointing it at the three dragons below.
“What are you doing? I thought we were waiting for the rest of the squad.”
“Change of plans,” Tristan muttered without looking up. “I told headquarters the three targets are on the move. They want me to take down as many as I can before they have a chance to fly off. This might be our only opportunity.”
A cold fist seized my gut. “That’s against protocol. There’re only two of us and three of them, one of which is an adult. We need the whole squad to fight it.”
“Don’t worry.” Tristan smiled, his finger sliding around the trigger. “I can take out the hatchlings before they even know what’s happening. This was our mission, Garret. We can’t let them get away. If we can bring down even one, it’ll be a victory. Now, shut up and let me kill a dragon.”
I spared one last glance at the fight below. The adult was circling the other two like a wolf, lashing its tail against its flanks as they crouched in the center, watching it. Both looked hurt, while the green dragon was obviously playing with them.
“Stop moving,” Tristan breathed, his entire focus on his targets. “Just for a second.” The adult paused, giving him a clear view of the two hatchlings, and Tristan smiled. “Yes.”
I made my decision.
I lunged, grabbing the barrel and forcing it down, just as a shot rang out. At the same moment, a shriek of pain rose from the beach, making my heart clench, thinking one of the dragons had been hit. But that wasn’t the case. The adult had reared up and crushed the smaller blue one into the sand, and the dragon’s scream had masked the gun retort. They hadn’t noticed us yet.
But Tristan whirled on me, eyes blazing. “Garret, what the hell?” he snarled, trying to yank the gun back. I held on and refused to relent. “Are you crazy! What are you doing?”
“I can’t let you do this.”
He stared at me like I’d spoken Swahili. “These are orders,” he finally snapped. “I’m doing my job, what the captain told me to do.”
“The Order is wrong,” I said. His face blanched, and he gaped at me like he didn’t know who I was. “This is wrong, Tristan. Dragons aren’t completely evil. Some of them are just trying to get by. We don’t have to slaughter them wholesale.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Tristan finally yanked the gun away and surged to his feet, his eyes wide. I followed, muscles tensing, as my partner staggered back, shaking his head. “Garret, you can’t be serious. They’ll kill you.”
“I don’t care.” I stood with my back to the cliff, hearing the roars and cries of the dragons behind me, and faced my partner’s accusing gaze. “I’m not letting you shoot them, Tristan. If you want to kill them, you’ll have to get past me.”
For a moment, he stared at me, disbelieving. For a moment, I thought he would let this go. But then, I saw the instant his expression changed, cold anger and loathing flashing through his eyes, before he went for his sidearm.
I was already moving, grabbing his wrist as the pistol came up, forcing the muzzle away from me. Tristan dropped his rifle and lashed out with his other arm, throwing a fist at my temple. I raised an arm to block it, then brought my knee up, striking him in the stomach. He grunted and bent forward; I wrenched the gun from his hand and brought it smashing down to his skull, hitting him right behind the ear. Tristan crumpled forward, collapsing to the rocky ground, and didn’t move.
Stepping over my unconscious partner, not daring to think about what I’d just done, I grabbed my M-4 and ran for the beach, the roars of desperate dragons ringing out behind me.
Ember
I opened my eyes as gunfire boomed over the sand. Lilith shrieked, and the weight pinning me down vanished, the claws around my throat jerking away.
Panting, I rolled to my side, staring in amazement. Lilith was backing toward the ocean, shaking her head, blood and sparks erupting along her side and armored chest. Walking down the beach toward us, his gun level and firing short, controlled shots as he came, was Garret.
At the sight of her most hated enemy, the Viper screamed. Opening her jaws, she sent a line of dragonfire roaring at the human coming toward us, and Garret dove away before the flames could engulf him. Rolling to his knees, he fired at her again, but Lilith was already moving. Lightning fast, she darted to one side, then the other, racing in a zigzag pattern up the beach. The soldier tried following her with the gun, but her quick, frantic movements were difficult to track, and she drew ever closer to the lone human, jaws gaping to bite him in two. Horrified, I struggled to my feet, shouting a warning to Garret, knowing I’d never reach them in time.
And then, a scaly blue body flew at her from the side and slammed into her ribs, knocking her off balance. Lilith stumbled and nearly fell as Cobalt spun, hissing and snarling, to stand between her and Garret. Lilith roared and turned to face him, but flinched back as a storm of bullets sped through the air, some sparking off her horns and chest plates, but some hitting home.
Ignoring the pain in my side and neck, I charged my former trainer, leaped at her back and sank my claws into her flank. She shrieked again and kicked me in the stomach with a hind leg, sending me tumbling through the sand. Winded once more, I still bounced to my feet, ready to continue the fight—
But it seemed the Viper had had enough. Now faced with St. George, as well as two stubborn dragons, she crouched and leaped skyward, her wings blasting us with sand as she rose into the air. I watched her go, meeting her gaze as she soared overhead, seeing the acid-green eyes narrow hatefully.
“This isn’t over, hatchling,” she warned in Draconic. “You cannot escape Talon. I will return for you all, soon.”
With a few strong downbeats, the Viper rose up the cliff wall, shoved off the rock face and glided away over the ocean. Within moments, Talon’s best Viper assassin became a distant blur against the night sky and disappeared.
I exhaled and sank to the cool sand, feeling like I’d been run over by a herd of elephants in cleats. My ribs throbbed, my side burned and my throat ached from where Lilith had tried to rip it out. I was b
ruised, battered and bloody, and wanted nothing more than to go home, take a long shower and curl up in my bed.
Only...I couldn’t do that. Ever again. Dante was home. The brother who’d abandoned me, who’d turned his back on his twin in favor of Talon. He was part of the organization now. And I, especially after tonight, was most definitely a rogue.
Sick and disheartened, I slumped even farther, wishing I could bury myself in the cool sand until I figured everything out, but a sudden, angry growl made me jerk up. Cobalt was on his feet, body tense and lips curled back from his fangs. His eyes glowed, and he took a threatening step forward.
Glaring at the soldier a few yards away.
Garret
By far, that had been the stupidest thing I’d ever done.
I should be dead. By all logical statistics, I shouldn’t have survived that fight. Challenging even a single hatchling, alone, was a good way to get yourself killed. You might get lucky, but even the smallest of Talon’s offspring were quick and dangerous, armed with fire and claws and teeth. You could kill them, but they could tear you apart just as easily.
Taking on a full-grown adult dragon without an entire squad backing you up was suicide, plain and simple. There was no way around it. Adults were far too powerful for a single human to challenge alone. Even with a pair of dragons on my side, I’d gotten very, very lucky. If it hadn’t been for Ember and the other juvenile joining the fight when they did, I wouldn’t be breathing.
Although, I reflected as the adrenaline began to wear off and the full realization of what I’d done hit me full force, I probably won’t be breathing much longer.
I’d betrayed the Order. Disobeyed commands, struck down my partner and charged the enemy without backup, which had allowed it to escape. Reckless and undisciplined, but not the worst thing I’d done. If that was my only crime, I could be court-marshaled and thrown into St. George’s prison for a few months, even years. But my betrayal went far deeper than that.
I’d helped the enemy. I’d knowingly engaged in battle with the sole purpose of aiding the fiery red dragon who’d spared my life. I’d fought with them against their enemy. It didn’t matter that their foe was another, more powerful dragon, and I had no idea why it was trying to kill its own. My interference had probably saved their lives.
Was it worth it?
I glanced at Ember, lying in the sand a few yards away, sides heaving. Ember, not “the dragon.” She had a name, a personality, a normal life. Or she’d had a normal life, before tonight. Before we’d kicked down the door and tried to kill her for existing.
A heavy weight settled over me. If there had been time, I would have told her I was sorry, that we’d been wrong. Though any apology was grossly insufficient for the things I had done, the numbers slaughtered and the blood on my hands. Ember would hate me, she deserved to hate me, but I couldn’t return to the Order and blindly kill her people like I used to. She had opened my eyes, and I couldn’t...I wouldn’t, return to what I had been.
A growl cut through the silence, raising the hair on my neck. I jerked up to see the blue dragon glaring at me with teeth bared, looking decidedly hostile. I tensed, fighting the instinct to raise my weapon. Of course, it saw only its greatest enemy, a soldier of St. George. I might have helped drive off the adult, but when Talon and the Order stood face-to-face, the only outcome was death.
I forced myself to lower the gun, keeping it at my side, as I raised my other hand. “I’m not here to fight,” I told the dragon, who snorted in obvious contempt.
“Bullshit,” it spat at me, the word sounding strange coming from a dragon’s mouth. I’d rarely heard them speak in their true forms; hearing one snarl an expletive was a weird sensation. “I suppose you didn’t mean to kill us earlier tonight, either.” It stalked toward me, eyes narrowed, lips pulled back in hate. “Way I see it, you came here expecting one dragon, not three. And now that you have no squad to back you up, you’re trying to beg your way out. Well, it doesn’t work that way, St. George,” the dragon hissed. “Don’t expect us to play nice when you tried to kill us all.”
I raised my weapon, backing up as the dragon pressed forward menacingly. “I don’t want to shoot you. Stand down.”
“I’ve already been shot once tonight,” the dragon answered, the murderous gleam in its eyes growing bright as he backed me toward the cliff. “If you think you can kill me, do your worst.”
It tensed to spring at me. I tightened my grip on the trigger—
And Ember lunged between us.
Ember
Cobalt stopped short as I leaped in front of him, blocking the path to Garret. Growling, I lowered my head and spread my wings, sinking into a crouch. The dragon’s gold eyes blinked in surprise, then narrowed angrily.
“Ember, what are you doing?” he snarled in Draconic. “He’s St. George, Firebrand. Move, before he shoots you in the back.”
“I know what he is,” I retorted. “And I’m not going to let you do this.” Planting my claws, I stayed where I was. “He helped us, Cobalt. He drove off the Viper. Lilith would’ve killed us both.”
“That doesn’t matter!” Aghast, he stared at me, confusion and disgust written over his reptilian face. “He’s still part of the Order. He’s killed dozens of our kind! The only reason he’s not trying to murder us now is that we outnumber him.” I stubbornly set my jaw, and Cobalt snarled impatiently. “You think he would’ve spared us tonight? If those alarms hadn’t gone off, they would’ve slaughtered us. You, me, the hatchlings, Wes—they would’ve killed us all.”
“So we’re going to kill him in cold blood now? How does that make us any different?”
“Dammit, Ember!” He started toward me, but I bared my fangs at him and hissed, making him stop. I wasn’t screwing around. I was not going to let Cobalt kill Garret, even if he was St. George. He’d saved our lives. Why, I had no idea. He knew I was a dragon. He knew St. George tried to kill us tonight; hell, maybe he’d been there, too.
But he wasn’t firing on us now. He’d helped drive off Talon’s notorious Viper assassin. And when I spared a glance at him, the human standing quietly on the beach was a different person than the soldier I’d faced earlier tonight.
My heart sank. We were enemies. I knew that. But I couldn’t let Cobalt attack him now. There had been far too much fighting and blood already. I’d had enough.
“Ember.”
Garret’s voice, low and grim, echoed at my back. I glanced over my shoulder to find him watching us, a grave look on his face. From the faint crease of his brow, he hadn’t understood the snarled, hissed conversation between two dragons, but he’d probably gotten the gist of it.
I wanted to talk to him, but not like this. Not as lifelong enemies, dragon to St. George. Turning slowly, keeping my movements calm and unthreatening, I Shifted back, hearing Cobalt’s warning growl echo behind me. But as I shrank down, my human form kneeling in the sand between the soldier and the dragon, Garret stepped forward, earning a hiss from Cobalt.
“Don’t,” he said urgently, and I glanced up at him, puzzled. “Don’t change back, Ember, there’s no time. You have to leave now.” He shot a wary look back at the cliffs, at the path he’d come in. “St. George, the rest of my team, is on their way. You should go.”
I blinked, but Cobalt gave a snarled curse and backed away. “I knew it,” he growled with a furious look at Garret. “I knew we shouldn’t trust him. Come on, Firebrand. Before they get here and start shooting anything that moves.” Whirling, he bounded toward the cave, his lithe body flying over the sand, moving like a huge scaly cat. But I hesitated, looking back at the soldier.
“Why?” I asked, needing to know. “Why did you save us? Did St. George send you? Or was this just to repay me for earlier? Clear your conscience before you start shooting us again?”
“No.” He quickly shook his head. “Never
again. I...” He broke off, raking a hand through his hair, before looking up. His gray eyes were haunted as they met mine. “I’m done,” he said firmly. “No more missions. No more raids or strikes or killings. No more deaths. I’m not hunting your people anymore.”
Stunned, I could only stare at him. “Really?”
He didn’t smile, but his eyes softened a touch as he gazed at me. “How could I,” he almost whispered, “after I met you?”
A lump rose to my throat, and I swallowed hard. “What about St. George?”
“It doesn’t matter.” His voice was resigned now, weary. “I can’t follow their beliefs, and I can’t condone what we’ve done. I knew what I was doing when I came here tonight.” For a moment, his expression clouded with what might’ve been fear, before he shook himself with a deep, steadying breath. “I knew the consequences. I would do it again if I had to.”
“Ember!” Cobalt’s impatient voice rang over the sand. I looked back to see him at the edge of the water, wings half-open and ready to go. Behind him, a whip-thin black dragon and a smaller male with dusty brown scales bounded toward him from the cave. Nettle and Remy in their true forms, staring at me wide-eyed. “What are you waiting for? Come on!”
“Go,” Garret said, nodding toward the other dragons. “Forget about me. I’m already dead. Just go.”
“Garret...”
A shout echoed from the other direction, and we turned. Figures spilled onto the beach from between the cliffs, guns leading the way as they came toward us in a black swarm. I cringed, and Garret spun back, eyes narrowed.
“Ember, go! Now!”
I bit my lip, turned and sprinted away, seeing Nettle and Remy already taking flight, rising into the air. Cobalt waited for me, holding his ground, even as the first shots rang out behind me. Shifting midstride, I hit the ground running, already pumping my wings as I launched myself skyward, seeing Cobalt do the same. As we soared up the cliff wall, bullets zipped by me, sparking off the rocks, and there was a stab of pain as something punched a hole through my wingtip, making me falter in midair. I hissed in fear, beating my wings and scrabbling my claws down the rock face, expecting a bullet in the spine at any moment.