I nodded and glanced at the others. “Let’s move.” We hurried across the clearing, prioritizing speed now rather than stealth, and ducked into the mine entrance. Inside, a rusted iron gate blocked the way forward, but the chain that held the door shut had been cut through, probably by Mist. After pulling the door back with a squeak, we entered the darkness of the tunnel.
“Ooh, a chain on the door,” Peter Matthews mocked, his voice echoing quietly. “That must’ve been a bitch to get through.”
“Maybe for certain oblivious humans,” Mist replied. “But that’s not what I was talking about.” She stopped and gestured down the shaft. “See for yourself.”
I shone my flashlight into the darkness, and my heart sank. About fifty yards ahead, the tunnel had been blocked by a massive pile of rocks and dirt. Judging from the size of some of the boulders and the way everything seemed to have settled, this cave-in must have happened months, if not years, ago.
“Dammit.” Tristan shook his head, giving the rock pile a look of dismay. “Well, that’s going to screw things up for us. No way we’re getting through that.” He shoved his fingers through his hair and looked at me. “Don’t suppose you know of another way in? Otherwise this mission is screwed.”
I didn’t, of course, and was racking my brain to come up with an alternate plan when Ember made a thoughtful noise and stepped forward.
“No,” she murmured, narrowing her eyes at the cave-in. “This isn’t a mistake. This is what Talon wants you to see. There’s no way into the cave, so intruders will turn around and leave.”
“Exactly,” Mist said, giving Ember an approving nod. “Talon excels in hiding in plain sight. If they had high-tech security guarding this place, anyone would become suspicious. So I did some digging. It took me a while—I had no real clue of what I was looking for, but in the end, I finally found this.”
Reaching down, she grabbed one of the mine cart rails and pulled. An entire section of track swung up like a trapdoor, revealing a concrete shaft and a metal ladder that went straight down into darkness.
Peter Matthews gave a soft chuckle. “Sneaky bastards,” he muttered. “I keep forgetting how shifty these things are.” He glanced at me, a wide, somewhat evil grin crossing his face. “Well, Commander? Door’s open. Let’s get in there and slaughter some lizards.”
I didn’t like the zealous gleam in his eyes, or the bloodlust, but here we were. The door was open and the mission had to go on.
“Lieutenant,” I said into my mic. “We’ve reached the back entrance.”
“Copy that, Sebastian,” Ward replied. “We’ll begin the assault.” There was a pause, then he added, “Good luck and Godspeed to you all.”
His voice cut out, and I switched channels to our support, who was overseeing the operations of both teams. “Wes. You there?”
“About bloody time.” The hacker sighed. “Yes, I’m here. I take it you’ve found the other way in?”
“Yes.”
“Right. I’ll guide you through best I can, but remember, I only have the blueprint. I can’t account for enemy guards or killer dragons ambushing you. You’re on your own then.”
“Understood. Just get us to that chamber, Wes. We’ll take it from there.”
A sudden flash came from outside, followed by the muffled but unmistakable sound of an explosion. We all looked toward the tunnel entrance as distant gunfire sounded over the trees.
“It’s started,” Ember breathed. Her expression was dark but determined, and for a moment, I saw the outline of her real self, a fierce red dragon with eyes glowing green, as she turned to me. “I’m ready,” she said. “Let’s end this.”
I nodded. “Move out,” I ordered, and we started down the ladder into the depths of a laboratory of monsters, ready to destroy them all and save the world.
Knowing full well we weren’t coming out again.
RILEY
Okay, that’s bigger than I thought it would be.
I crouched in dragon form at the edge of the rise, digging my talons into the edge of the cliff, gazing down the slope at our target. The entrance to the laboratory sat at the bottom of a rocky bowl, surrounded by mountains on all sides. I could see a gaping cavern large enough to drive a truck through cut into the side of a slope—the original entrance to the mine, if I had to guess. The land around it had been cleared and stripped of all vegetation, leaving the area barren and rocky. Several long gray buildings sat in rows off to one side, and a yellow backhoe, bulldozer and other construction equipment sat silent and empty near a gravel pit. A chain-link fence surrounded the entire area, with watchtowers flanking either side of the road that led through the gate and up to the entrance.
And there were a lot of humans standing guard outside. Humans with combat vests and very large guns, who didn’t look at all like scientists or corporate employees, but trained militia. In fact, this whole operation didn’t look like a mining facility so much as some kind of top-secret government organization.
“They’re expecting us, all right,” Martin said behind me. I scooted back from the edge and rose, watching as he scanned the area with a grave expression. “No need for that many guards unless you know something is coming.”
“Guess we shouldn’t disappoint them, huh?”
He sighed. “Are the communications working?”
“Yeah.” I wore a headset with an earpiece and mic that had been specially modified for a dragon. The bud had been shoved into my ear canal and was uncomfortable as hell, but it would allow me to keep in contact with both lieutenants. Wes was supporting Sebastian’s team, and was responsible for leading them through the laboratory to the stasis chamber, so his attention would be elsewhere. I would never admit it, but it was strange, having someone else’s voice buzz through the earpiece. It just wasn’t the same without a sarcastic English accent. “I hear you loud and clear, Lieutenant.”
“Martin.” Ward’s voice crackled in said earpiece, sounding urgent. “Sebastian just reached the back entrance.”
“All right.” I ignored the painful churning in my stomach. It was time. How many would I lose before this was over? How many would I watch die, to defend a world that didn’t know we existed? “We’re ready.”
Martin nodded and stepped back. “Good luck then, dragon,” he said in a grave voice. “See you all on the battlefield.”
I watched him stride away, back to the soldiers of St. George, and glanced at the small army that waited behind me. On the ledge, dozens of glowing, reptilian eyes watched me, wings and tails fluttering anxiously in the predawn stillness.
I swallowed, knowing I should say something to them, that they were all looking to me for encouragement, on the last day some of us would be alive. Speeches were never my forte, but I stepped forward and took a breath, bringing their attention to me.
“It’s okay to be scared,” I told the thirty-plus dragons who watched me with solemn eyes. “This is Talon, and we all know what they’re capable of. We’ve all suffered under the organization. We know the cruelty and depravity they’re capable of, even to their own kind. You have every right to be afraid, and for that, I want you to know that I am proud of each and every one of you.” Some of them blinked, raising their heads, as I smiled grimly. “You chose to fight, to be here now. Because you know that without us, Talon will sweep the world and turn it into a living hell for both humans and dragons. Well, that’s not going to happen. Today, we strike back at the organization, and we send a message to the Elder Wyrm that we will never accept her world.” I gestured down the slope, to the massive facility at the bottom, and bared my teeth in a smile. “The Elder Wyrm’s plans are going to go up in flames, but they need us to make it happen. We have to strike so hard and fast, and rain so much fire down on Talon’s heads, they’re going to believe it really is the dragon apocalypse. Think we can do that?”
At the front, a small black dragon raised her head, yellow eyes flashing in the darkness. “Hell, yeah,” Nettle said, her crown of spines bristling with anticipation. “The bastards won’t know what hit them. I’ll tear them all a new one. For Remy.”
“For Scarlett,” another growled, one of the dragonells from the island facility.