Ember’s tail coiled with mine. “I wouldn’t have changed it.”
The soldiers were almost to our hiding spot, flashlight beams crawling on the walls overhead, booted feet stomping against the tile. They were coming slower now, being cautious, knowing we were close. It was dangerous to continue speaking, though I had so much I wanted to say. A white beam sliced past, illuminating the shattered glass, and I ducked my head, heart racing, until it passed.
Ember gave a throaty, defiant growl, and for a moment, I closed my eyes, just feeling her against me. This would be the last time I saw her like this, in her beautiful true form. Unless Wes came charging in with a bazooka—very unlikely—or all of St. George had a sudden, miraculous change of heart, luck wasn’t going to help us, not this time. So, that left me. To save my hatchlings and my underground, even if I couldn’t be there anymore. “Wait for them to start chasing me,” I told Ember, ignoring her frown of confusion. I heard shots outside the door, probably more St. George soldiers on the way, and I tensed for a final, desperate lunge. “I’ll take as many of them down as I can. You just go for the door. If you see Wes again, do me a favor and tell him thanks, for everything.”
Before she could say anything, I jumped out with a roar, straight into the line of oncoming soldiers, and smoke erupted around me.
EMBER
I realized what the rogue was saying a second too late. With a defiant roar, Cobalt leaped out of cover, straight at the line of St. George soldiers and their guns. Heart seizing, I lunged after him, hoping to get to him in time, knowing it was too late. That I was a heartbeat away from seeing the brave, brash, infuriating rogue gunned down right in front of me.
Time seemed to slow. Just as Cobalt sprang into the open, something tiny sailed through the air and landed between him and the soldiers with a clink. There was a deafening hiss, and white smoke erupted from the object, spraying everywhere and filling the room. Shots rang out from somewhere in the fog, and two of the soldiers I could still see jerked and went down.
“We’re under attack! Take cover!”
More shots cracked, the triple tap of burst fire, and another soldier cried out. Utterly bewildered, I looked around for Cobalt and found him crouched nearby, glaring around warily, clearly as shocked as I was.
“Ember! Riley!”
The breath left my lungs in a forceful explosion. That voice. No, it couldn’t be. He was gone. I’d sent him away myself.
And then, a body emerged from the smoke, M4 in hand, firing into the corners of the room, face grim and determined. For a second, nothing seemed real, as a pair of familiar gunmetal eyes met mine.
“Come on!” Garret Xavier Sebastian snapped, gesturing at us with the gun. “While they’re disoriented! Let’s go!”
PART II
UNDER ONE BANNER
SEBASTIAN
Six years ago
“Garret, are you listening to me?”
I tore my eyes from the window and the ancient Spanish-style monastery looming at the end of the drive. Surrounded by a high stone wall, red tiled roofs peeking over the top, it was an intriguing sight, especially since the number of times I had been outside the Order chapterhouse where I had lived until today could be counted on my fingers.
“Yes, sir,” I said, turning to Benedict, who glared at me from behind the wheel of the Jeep. “I’m listening.”
“Really? Repeat what I just said.”
“Formal training has already started,” I recited. “I’ll be joining the classes late.”
“And?”
“The Headmaster’s name is Robert St. Julian. He fought the dragons until he lost his arm in battle, but he’ll still kick my ass in sparring any day of the week. So be respectful when speaking to him.”
“And?”
“Work hard, follow commands and don’t talk about the Order to outsiders. Sir.”
“Hmph.” Benedict grunted, reluctantly appeased, and didn’t say anything else. Careful not to let any triumph show on my face, I went back to gazing out the window as we pulled to a stop at the huge wooden gate guarding the entrance to the monastery. It creaked open, and we rolled into a large courtyard with a single gnarled banyan tree in the center, outstretched branches mottling the ground with shade. It was a cold, wintry morning, and no one was around. We parked the Jeep, and I grabbed my duffel bag from the back before following Benedict across the grounds to the largest stone building at the end of the walk.