The shot boomed over the yard, as sharp and distinct as cannon fire, the retort echoing off the cliffs. From my position on the ground, I saw something hit the Elder Wyrm in the side…and pass right through in a spray of blood.
The Elder Wyrm staggered to a halt a few yards away. For a moment, we stared at each other, unmoving, her burning green gaze locked with mine. I gazed at her, frozen, wondering if she would just shake off the injury and continue. If she was truly immortal, after all.
With a rumble of a landslide, the Elder Wyrm finally collapsed. Her massive head struck the ground a few feet from mine, slitted green eyes rolling up toward the sky. Blood pooled from her side and spread over the rocky ground in a grim flood as the Elder Wyrm shuddered, gasping for breath as her life bled away.
I pushed myself to my feet and, though my ribs felt like they would explode out of my body, forced myself back to human form. Taking a few steps forward, I came to a stop at the head of the Elder Wyrm, feeling the gravity of the moment press down on me as I watched the passing of the oldest dragon in the world. Her jaws moved, a small, incredulous voice emerging from within.
“Daughter,” it whispered. “What…have you done?”
I swallowed hard. “What I had to,” I whispered. “I’ve put a stop to your plans to rule the world, to declare war on humanity. They don’t deserve it. Dragons and humans can learn to live together. Look at what we’ve done today, with the Order of St. George. We just had to find that common ground.”
The Elder Wyrm gave a weak, raspy chuckle. “Foolish,” she whispered. “You…you are just like me. Not only in blood. We are one and the same. I once thought to change the world, to make a difference for our kind. You will see… in time. If you live as long as I, you will come to know mankind’s true colors. And you will have to make a decision, as I did.”
A shudder went through her, and she made a strangled noise and gazed up at the sky. “How?” she whispered. “How can this…be? I should have been immortal. I was supposed to live…forever.”
Then the brilliant light faded from her eyes, her body stilled and the whole earth seemed to shiver as the Elder Wyrm, the founder of Talon and the oldest dragon in existence, finally moved no more.
I took a deep, cleansing breath, feeling something hot run down my cheeks to mix with the rain. Overhead, the clouds parted, the storm faded away and the morning sun shone over the battlefield, glittered off scales and armor and the massive body of the Elder Wyrm in the center of it all.
A lump caught in my throat. I watched as the rogues and soldiers of St. George began clustering around us, cheers and shouts of triumph rising into the air. I closed my eyes, as a swirl of emotions rushed to the surface. Relief that it was done, that we’d made it. Anger at what we’d had to sacrifice to win. And a deep, bone-numbing grief for everyone we’d lost. For friends and allies who gave their lives for our victory, and for a sibling who couldn’t be saved, but who had come through in the end, as he had always done.
“Ember.”
I turned. Garret stood behind me, blood trickling down his face, his combat vest torn and shredded. He held out an arm, and I stepped into him, pressing my face to his chest as he hugged me tight. And for a moment, we just stood there, numb with relief, dazed with the realization.
It’s finally over.
There was a blast of wind, and Riley landed close, breathing hard. With a ripple of energy, he Shifted back to human form and staggered toward us.
“Hell,” he whispered, gazing up at the massive corpse. His voice was laced with both amazement and unrestrained glee as he shook his head. “We did it. We actually fucking did it. The Elder Wyrm is gone.” Laughing, he turned and threw his arms around us, pulling us all into a manic group hug. “Talon is dead,” he whispered fiercely. “The organization will be nothing without the Elder Wyrm. After all these centuries, we can finally start to breathe again.”
No, I thought as Riley pulled back, the rogue too elated to be embarrassed. We weren’t done yet. The Elder Wyrm and her army might be gone, taking with them her plans to rule the world, but the work was far from over. With the death of its leader, Talon would be in shambles, the Order was a mess and the future of both was uncertain. Neither organization would just go away; Talon was too big, its reach too extensive for it to simply vanish. Despite the Elder Wyrm’s plans, it was still the only place where dragons could exist without fear. And I realized what had to happen, what that would mean for all of us.
Talon had to continue. Too many dragons depended on the organization to keep them safe—maybe not from the Order, but from the rest of the world. We weren’t quite ready to reveal our existence, and the world wasn’t ready for us even if we were. Talon and the Order both had to change, that much was certain. But with the Patriarch, the Elder Wyrm and the heir of Talon all dead, who would step up to take their places?
I swallowed hard. Well, Dante, I thought as Garret slipped his arms around my waist from behind. Looks like you got your wish, in the end. I’ll be going home, after all. I took a deep breath and swiped a hand over my eyes. I just wish you were here with me.
“Hey,” Garret murmured in my ear, and I peeked back at him, feeling a tear slide down my cheek. He gave a sad smile and brushed a fingertip over my skin. “Don’t think about it, dragon girl,” he whispered, drawing me closer. “There’ll be time to mourn everyone soon enough. We won, and we’re alive. Savor this victory, for what it’s worth.”
I smiled shakily and looked back at the cheering, celebrating soldiers and dragons. Soldiers grinned and slapped each other on the back, while hatchlings bounced around each other and the humans, uncaring that they were once their greatest enemies. Wes had ventured close and gave a yelp of surprise as Nettle pounced on him in ecstatic glee, knocking him on his back. His cursing demands for her to get off were lost in the chaos around him, until a soldier pulled him upright and gave him a hearty slap on the arm, making him wince.
A pale-haired girl walked around the body of the Elder Wyrm, coming to a halt at the edge of the crowd. Mist watched the celebrations with an amused detachment, a faint smile on her lips, though her blue gaze scanned the area, searching for something.
Breaking away from Ward, Riley turned around, strode across the yard and, without hesitation, pulled her into a deep kiss. Mist’s eyes went huge, her body stiffening. Most of the hatchlings stopped what they were doing to stare and, after a moment, began cheering Riley instead. When he finally pulled back, Mist’s eyes were still wide as she stared up at him, and for a moment, we all held our breath, wondering if she would slap the rogue or shove him away. Riley offered a tiny, crooked grin, and Mist’s jaw tightened, right before she grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down again.
I smiled and leaned into Garret, feeling his arms tighten around me, the solid thump of his heart echoing mine.
The Elder Wyrm was dead.
Time for a new beginning.
EPILOGUE
RILEY
Two weeks later…
“I bloody can’t believe I have to do this.”
I watched Wes stuff his laptop into a bag and zip it shut with a fierce exasperation. His scowl was even deeper than normal as he swung the bag onto his shoulder and turned to glare at me. “I once promised myself that I would never go back there,” he said. “I don’t even know why they want me to attend—it’s not like I’m the bloody war hero.”
“You were part of the final battle,” I told him. “You were my second in command for years. According to most, you are a bloody war hero.”