Hey, now. Riley sounded nervous. I admit, the guy was a bastard when he worked for St. George, but hes been pretty useful to us.
The Wyrm ignored him. With a terrifying smile, he sat up, towering over us. Ill make this sporting, St. George, he said, and nodded back toward the gate, in the direction we came in. Run. Now. Well see how far you can get before my flames catch up to you. And, human, I havent had to chase anything for over a hundred years. Do try to make a fight of it, wont you?
Garret didnt move. I saw his gaze flicker to me for the briefest of moments, saw the countless emotions burning in his eyes, before he faced the Wyrm once more. No, he said calmly. Im not running. I have nothing to hide anymore.
Well. Ouroboros sniffed, sounding faintly peeved. Youre no fun at all, are you? I guess Ill have to be content with a quick snack, then. Dont worry, though, human. He reared back like a snake, jaws opening to show his fangs and enormous maw. Ill make it quick.
I lunged in front of Garret, feeling my body explode into dragon form as I did. The great Wyrm pulled up in surprise as I spun to face him, spreading my wings in a desperate attempt to shield the soldier from the massive creature before us. I knew nothing I did would help; one swat from Ouroboros would easily kill us both. But I wouldnt stand there and watch Garret die in front of me.
There was another ripple of energy, and a lithe blue dragon stepped in front of the ancient Wyrm, as well. Stunned, I glanced at Cobalt, but he wasnt looking at me, his narrowed gold gaze was on the huge dragon overhead.
This isnt why we came, Ouroboros, the rogue said, the tremor in his voice barely noticeable. And you didnt call us here just for a snack. What do you really want?
Ouroboros looked amused. Sitting back, he cocked his head, regarding us with ancient red eyes. Well, he rumbled. I suppose that answers my question. The girls actions are not terribly unexpected, now that I have met her, but I will admit, Cobalt, youve surprised me today. Considering how long youve fought against St. George, I would have thought watching one of your enemies crushed in front of you would be gratifying.
Oh, dont get me wrong. Cobalts voice was light, but his body was still a tense, coiled wire between the Wyrm and us. It was mostly for a certain red hatchling who has a tendency to leap in front of the lunging dragon before she looks. He shot me an exasperated glance before turning to Ouroboros again. But I dont risk my hide for just any human. The soldier has fought Talon and St. George with us, and in this day and age Ill take all the allies I can find.
The great Wyrm nodded. Excellent, he said, confusing the hell out of all of us. Thats what I wanted to find out.
I wanted to test how far you would go to help each other, Ouroboros explained. Two dragons and a soldier of St. George might not be enemies, but it is hard to believe they are allies, even harder to believe they are friends. I wished to see if you were truly a team who thought and acted together, or a random group of strangers simply thrown together by circumstance. If it was the latter, I would be wasting my time here. Because I doubt you would survive what is to come.
Then...you werent really going to kill him? I asked, relieved that my voice was working and not frozen in terror at the back of my throat.
Oh, I definitely would have killed him, Ouroboros said. Had you not moved to defend the soldier, he would be nothing but a dissolving lump in my stomach right now. He paused, running a tongue along his teeth. Mmm, it has been a long time since Ive eaten a mortal, he mused in a longing voice. Perhaps I should start demanding sacrifices again.
I shuddered, and beside me, Cobalt curled a lip. Ouroboros didnt seem to notice. You want to strike a blow against Talon, he continued. But guts and determination alone do not win wars. If you are going to fight the organization, youll need soldiers, allies to assist in the struggle. I can help with both.
How? Cobalt asked. Will you be joining us?
My heart beat faster at the thought. If we had a Wyrm like this on our side, the second-oldest dragon in the world, we might have a chance of bringing Talon down for good.
But Ouroboros snorted. It has been over three hundred years since I have spoken to any of my kind, and in that three hundred years, Talon and the Elder Wyrm have finally forgotten that I exist. Or, at the very least, they have concluded that I am dead. If I returned with you, I would be letting all of Talon know that I am very much alive, and the Elder Wyrm will not stand for that sort of competition.
But...youre a Wyrm, I protested. You could help us win this war. Countless dragons are being used and destroyed by Talon. How can you sit back and do nothing?
Nothing? The Wyrms voice held the hint of a growl, warning me to watch myself in the lair of a god. I am doing something, hatchling, he went on. I have called you here. Because an opportunity has arisen, and I see a chance to strike at the Elder Wyrm and Talon. But the future is hazy, and Talon is on the move. It is not yet time for me to reveal myself. Especially as I am unsure that you will survive this war, or indeed the next encounter.
I called you here, Ouroboros continued, because I have information that may be helpful to your cause. I think you, in particular, will find this very interesting, ex-Agent Cobalt. As you stated earlier, a war is coming. You cannot take on an organization as large as Talon with a ragtag group of hatchlings and rogues. Youre going to need allies willing to fight the organization, and you have very few at the moment.
You could still help us, I thought stubbornly, though I knew better than to say it out loud. Best not to annoy the giant Wyrm that could flick you over the wall like a bug. Still, it was infuriating. Wed come all this way, leaving behind friends and those still in danger from Talon, to meet with the worlds most legendary rogue. Only to have him say he couldnt be bothered to fight Talon with us.
I felt my spines bristle. Cobalt gave me a warning look, as if he knew what I was thinking, and turned to face the Wyrm again.
I take it you happen to know where we can find a few, he said.
Ouroboros chuckled. Oh, you could say that. The dragons there are quite unhappy with the organization, and some of them have been there for a very long time. They would be more than eager to join the fight against Talon, I would think. If you can get to them.
I looked at Cobalt, saw him frown slightly as he pondered what the Wyrm was saying, then draw in a slow breath as he figured it out.
The facilities, he breathed, staring at Ouroboros. You know where Talon is keeping the breeder dragons.
My stomach twisted. There was so much hope and longing in Cobalts voice, even after all this time. After years of searching, countless traps, false leads, betrayals, failures and disappointments, he still held out hope that, one day, he would find the place Talon kept their breeder females and rescue them all. It was one of his life goals, probably the biggest one, the white rabbit he kept chasing no matter how many dark holes it led him down. Maybe this time, Ouroboros would give Riley what he desperately wanted. But I couldnt help but be skeptical. The last time wed followed a lead to where the facilities were supposedly located, it had been a clever trap that had nearly killed us all.
Yes, Ouroboros said. I do.
Riley
Where are they?
Ouroboros tilted his head slightly. I suspected that if hed been in human form he wouldve arched an eyebrow. What would he look like in human formif he even had a human form? Maybe hed been out here so long, away from everyone except the natives who worshiped him, that he hadnt Shifted in the three hundred years hed been out of Talon.
Realizing that the self-proclaimed god of the jungle probably wouldnt appreciate having answers demanded of him by some cocky Juvenile dragon, I hurried on. I mean, Ive searched for those facilities for years, but everything Ive found has been a dead end or a trap. Talon has hidden them so well that if I wasnt part of the Basilisk branch myself, I wouldve thought they didnt exist.
Oh, they exist, Ouroboros said. And the reason you havent been able to find them is because you werent looking in the right places. That, and the location is very difficult to get to. The facilities are located on a privately owned, unnamed island.
An island, I breathed. Of course, why hadnt I thought of that before? A privately owned island was isolated, hard to reach and cut off from the rest of the world: the perfect place to hide a large number of captive female dragons.
Yes. Ouroboros nodded. Talon owns the island, of course, so no one is allowed to set foot on it. Not that anyone would attempt it. Because here is the interesting part. The island is located a few hundred miles east of the Caribbean, in the area known to humans as the Bermuda Triangle.
The...Bermuda Triangle? I choked out.
Indeed. That is where youll find Talons breeding facilities, ex-Agent Cobalt. Though getting to it is going to be a challenge. It wont be like breaking into a single office building. You must circumvent the security of an entire island. And if you somehow manage to get to the breeders, how will you get them out again? How will you even get them off the island? Ouroboros folded his claws in front of him, regarding me with appraising red eyes. If you can accomplish this, young Basilisk, you will have pulled off what dozens of rogues around the world could only dream of. One corner of that narrow maw pulled into a smirk. As such, I myself have very little hope that any of you will survive. But I will wait, and see what happens. Perhaps you will surprise me.
He chuckled and rose to his feet, engulfing everything in his shadow. Well, he stated, I believe our business is at an end. It has been entertaining, if nothing else. He paused, and the subtle warning that crept into his voice made my stomach writhe in fear. Of course, it goes without saying that you will not mention my name, or my location, to anyone. What transpired here does not leave this jungle. His red eyes narrowed, glittering coldly, and I resisted the urge to shrink into the temple floor as the Wyrm loomed over us like a Titan. A massive, unstoppable force of nature. I am placing a great deal of trust that you will keep this meeting strictly confidential, he rumbled, making tremors ripple through the ground. But if word that I am alive does happen to reach the organization, do not believe that I wont find you. And if that happens, you and everyone who has ever known you will be consumed, until there is no one left who remembers your name.
Ember Hill. Ouroboros glanced at the red hatchling, who met his gaze calmly despite the subtle trembling in her wings. Daughter of the Elder Wyrm. I am pleased that we could meet face-to-face. But know thisI see much of her in you, and that can be both a blessing and a curse. Choose your path wiselyit would be a shame to kill you before you reach your full potential.
Ember raised her chin, standing tall as she faced the giant Wyrm. Are you sure you wont join us, Ouroboros? she asked. The war is going to affect everyone, even you, whether you like it or not. Stand with us. This could be your chance to finally strike back against Talon and the Elder Wyrm.
He snorted a laugh and began walking away, back toward the maze of ruined stone and crumbling towers. Pebbles bounced and vibrations ran up my legs as Ouroboros drew away, his long tail swaying behind him. I have been patient for three hundred years, he said without looking back. I can be patient awhile longer. Go to the island. Free the breeder females, if you can. We will see if you are successful, or if Talon proves to be too much for you to handle, after all. Perhaps you will die, and Talon will continue their plans unopposed. Maybe all of this will have been for nothing.
He turned a corner, sliding behind stone walls and jungle foliage, until only his tail was left. His final words echoed as the tail disappeared, and the ancient Wyrm vanished back into legend and rumor.
But maybe not.
Dante
I have a task for you, Dante.
I stood in the Elder Wyrms office, waiting silently as the CEO of Talon finished whatever was on her computer and turned to me with piercing green eyes. Even now, after numerous meetings, being summoned to her side, knowing my heritage and carrying out her orders, that ancient, unyielding stare could still make my knees tremble and my insides squirm in terror. I was getting better at controlling it, though, to appear calm and poised as the heir to Talon should be. Now, I politely averted my gaze and nodded, keeping my voice deferent but calm, to let her know I was suited for whatever task she required.
Of course. What would you have me do?
My heart pounded. This would be my chance to redeem myself, to make up for my failure and inability to complete the last mission, which was the complete destruction of St. Georges Western Chapterhouse. Victory should have been assured; the Order was in shambles with the death of the Patriarch, and theyd cut themselves off from each other as a result. We had greater numbers and surprise on our side; we should have completely wiped them out, to the last man. Ironically, I had failed because of my own sisters interference; her sudden arrival with Cobalt and a small army of rogue dragons was enough to turn the tide and save a handful of soldiers. Enemy soldiers. Soldiers of the Order of St. George, who had hunted dragons toward extinction for hundreds of years. Why Ember was helping our sworn enemies I had no idea, but lately my siblings actions had been so frustrating and completely unreasonable that I wondered if it was just to spite me and give Talon the middle finger.
It didnt matter in the long run. The Order had still been broken; they were no longer a threat to Talon or any of our operations. But because of Ember, the Elder Wyrms faith in me had been shaken. And that was something I could not forgive. I had worked too hard, and come too far, to lose this position because my reckless, defiant twin refused to cooperate.
I was almost to the top. One more step, and then I would truly be free.
Our enemies have been scattered to the winds, the Elder Wyrm said, rising from her seat. The Order of St. George threatens us no more. But there are still dragons out there who refuse to ally with Talon. Cobalt and his rogues have proved surprisingly resilient, though they will not be able to stand against us much longer.