“Yes,” the Elder Wyrm agreed. “Unless, of course, their survival is on the line. Then they will agree to any alliance, make any deal to save themselves. It is human nature, something I have seen time and time again. There is nothing they will not do, no ideals they will not abandon, if their existence is threatened. Not even St. George is exempt from human frailty.
“Regardless.” The Elder Wyrm’s eyes narrowed, glittering dangerously. “Such a blatant attack on Talon facilities cannot be allowed to stand. Both groups have gotten desperate enough to unite against us, and that makes them dangerous, simply because they are willing to do anything to survive.” She walked to the window to stare down at the city. “We cannot afford any hiccups this late in the game, Dante. It is time we destroyed Cobalt, these rogue soldiers and whoever stands in our way.” She paused a moment, her cold gaze scanning the city below. “We need to draw our enemies into one place,” she went on. “Present them with something so huge they cannot ignore it, and then crush them once and for all when they appear.”
My stomach dropped. I knew what she was talking about. Exposing it was risky, so very risky, but she was right; something so huge could not be ignored by Cobalt or the Order once they knew of its existence. Even if they knew it was a setup, they would come, drawn into the trap, and we would be there to destroy them.
Including Ember.
As if sensing my thoughts, the Elder Wyrm turned from the window, meeting my gaze head-on. Her eyes, ancient and all-knowing, glowed green in the shadows. “We are close, Dante,” she said softly, her voice causing the walls to tremble. “So close to achieving our dream, a world where our kind can live freely. A world where dragons will never again fear the Order and all humans pushing us toward extinction. We cannot falter now. We must see this through to the end, no matter the sacrifices that will come of it. Do you understand?”
I took a deep breath so that my voice would be steady when I answered. “I understand. What would you have me do?”
EMBER
The first week back at the farmhouse was…interesting, to say the least.
Things were, of course, unbelievably crowded. With the arrival of the dragonells from the facility, the total number of rogue dragons on the property had exploded to thirty-eight, not counting me, Riley, Mist and Jade. It was a big house, but every available room, couch and sleeping bag had been taken over by dragons. Dragons who were exhausted, shaken, confused and understandably terrified. It had been a rough, painful trip back to the States. I hadn’t been able to Shift at first due to that bastard Vance snapping my wing, and I’d spent two days in a dank shipping container with the four pregnant dragonells, drifting in and out of a fragmented sleep as my limb slowly healed. I’d sensed both Garret and Riley there several times, both of them worried as they hovered over me. Once, I’d thought Riley had a baboon mask on, but I was pretty certain that had been a dream.
By the time we’d reached the States, my wing had healed enough for me to Shift back to human form, but I’d opted to stay with the dragonells for the rest of the journey. And so the final leg of the trip was made in the back of a semi truck, many hours from the coast to Riley’s remote safe house, gritting my teeth against every bump, dip and pothole that jostled my still-aching wing. I’d never been so happy to be done with a trip in my entire life.
After the dragonells were settled in, we received a bit of a surprise. In a very short time, Jade had taken a group of chaotic, undisciplined young dragons and turned them into a well-oiled machine. There were hidden guards at the entrance and sentries around the perimeter. There were training exercises and morning meditations. Everyone had a job, from patrolling the yard at night to washing dishes and cleaning the rooms. Riley had been stunned. When Nettle told him that morning “reflection time” was her favorite part of the day, you could’ve knocked him over with a feather.
Unfortunately, Jade’s disciplined regime sort of fell apart when we arrived with twenty-six more dragons and the Order of St. George. None of the various leaders trusted that a house full of dragons and soldiers of the Order would not erupt into bullets and flame. With the exception of Garret, the dozen or so soldiers had been regulated to an old but serviceable bunkhouse out back. It was a temporary solution, though after a week of healing, settling in, making sure everyone had medical care, food and their own beds, one thought was beginning to emerge in everyone’s minds.
What now?
What was the next step against Talon and the Elder Wyrm? We couldn’t stay here forever; sooner or later, the organization would find us. We had done the impossible in reaching the facility and freeing the breeder dragons, but even after that, even with help from what was left of the Order, our small, ragtag group couldn’t stand against Talon’s massive army of soulless dragon clones. All it would take was one push, one surprise attack in the middle of the night, and we would be finished.
We couldn’t stay here. But one thing was certain; Talon wouldn’t wait for us to decide what we were going to do. Their plans, whatever they were, were very likely in motion now, and we were running out of time.
One morning, about a week after we’d arrived at the safe house, I awoke early and couldn’t go back to sleep. After pushing back the covers of my sleeping bag, I rose quietly and minced my way across the floor, careful not to wake the other four dragons who shared the room with me. Nettle and another girl named Iris slept in the twin beds along the wall, both of them snoring softly. Iris was a hatchling from the facility, and she had been extremely nervous about sharing a room with so many strangers. I’d given my bed to her on the first day to help her adjust, taking one of the sleeping bags on the floor. Usually, I’d be so exhausted by the end of the day that the thin mattresses on the hardwood floor didn’t even register, but it did make it challenging to sleep late.
Gliding downstairs, I saw that Jade was already up, drinking a mug of tea at the kitchen table. Morning meditations, where the Eastern dragon gathered all the original rogues on the back porch and had them meditate until sunrise, began in a half hour. She claimed it cleared everyone’s minds, preparing them for the day. I didn’t know what to think about that, but the rogues were certainly more organized than they had been, even under Riley.
“Morning, Jade,” I greeted, covering my mouth to mask a yawn. The Eastern dragon nodded in return.
“Good morning, Ember.” Jade put down her mug and gave me a mildly concerned look. “You are up early again. Are you still having trouble sleeping?”
I shrugged. “Nightmares,” I explained, trying to sound unconcerned. Every night, my brain would recount what had happened on the island, the fight with Director Vance, and the death of Scarlett. Sometimes it added scenes that hadn’t happened, mostly involving Garret and Riley dying in front of me, torn apart by bullets or in the jaws of the director. “It’s nothing serious.”
She shook her head. “So young,” she murmured, mostly to herself. “Everyone here is so young, and yet they have been forced into a life of war. Youth should be a time of learning, of growing up at your own pace. Of discovering the mysteries and wonders of the universe, and deciding where you fit in. This life changes you, forces you to grow up too soon, to make decisions you are not yet ready for.” Her eyes crinkled with sympathy. “My heart bleeds for everyone here. You will not see the scars until many years down the road, but they will always be there, deep in your soul.”
“We don’t really have a choice, do we?” I said sadly. “It’s either fight or conform to Talon. Even if we run, the organization will just hunt us down. We have to fight.”