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.
However... The Elder Wyrm turned and walked to the window, observing the city below as she often did. There are other dragons, older, very powerful dragons, who could be instrumental in the coming conflicts. We have received word that a few Eastern dragons survived the Night of Fang and Fire, that their lairs were empty when our forces came for them. It is likely that the Eastern dragon who currently aids Cobalt and Ember was able to warn them of the attack, which is another small thorn that must be removed. So be it. She turned from the window, fixing me with a piercing stare. Dante, you will go to China, to the council of Eastern dragons, and you will give them a message. Join Talon, or die. There will be no compromise.
My mouth went dry. Destroying the Order of St. George was one thing. Threatening an entire race of dragons, especially when they simply wished to be left alone, was another. I forced myself to speak calmly. Of course. Although, if I may, the Eastern dragons have long been known for their reclusiveness and their unwillingness to take part in the war. Would it not be better to leave them alone, rather than expend lives and resources to hunt them down?
Perhaps. The Elder Wyrm turned back to the window, looking thoughtful. Certainly, the Eastern dragons would prefer to remain neutral and unopposed, as they always have. But that time is done. All dragons must unite under one banner, one organization. We offered to make a place for the Eastern dragons before and they refused, but now they have seen our strength, and they know they cannot stand against us. I would prefer to have our proud cousins willingly join our cause, but if they do not, they declare themselves enemies of not only Talon, but the rest of dragonkind. We cannot have any opposition in this new world we are creating, Dante. There can be no loose threads hanging in the wind, not this late in the game. No, you will stand before the Eastern council, and you will deliver Talons message. This is their final chance. Be certain that they understand.
I took a furtive breath and nodded. It will be done.
The Elder Wyrm turned from the window, and her eyes glittered as she continued to regard me across the room. This is a test for you, as well, Dante, she said quietly, making my stomach curl and my pulse thud in my ears. The Eastern council is comprised of the oldest, most powerful dragons in all of China. You will be far from home, far from the protection of Talon. And the Night of Fang and Fire has decimated their numbers. They will be angry. Neutrality and pacifism aside, they are still dragonsthey will want revenge for themselves and their people. If you speak to them as a mere hatchling, demanding they join us or die, they will destroy you without a thought. And neither I nor anyone in Talon will be able to save you.
I felt a stab of very real fear, imagining myself surrounded by ancient dragons, eyes blazing with anger and hate as they loomed over me. If even one of them decided to end the life of Talons representative, there would be nothing I could do about it. Even taking Gila bodyguards would be useless against dragons that old and powerful; they would crush us all without a thought.
However, the Elder Wyrm went on, you are not a mere hatchling. You are the heir to Talon, the prince of an empire, and the Voice of the Elder Wyrm. If you convince them of that, they will not dare to touch you. The ghost of a smile touched her lips as she turned and walked back to her desk, her final words causing a chill to settle at the base of my spine. Now go, and take Talons message to the Eastern council. We will see if you are truly worthy of your title.
Riley
This is bloody impossible, Riley. Wes sighed.
I glared at him. The six of usmyself, Ember, St. George, Mist, Jade and Wesstood in what had once been the tornado shelter of the old farmhouse. It had been repurposed as the command center, mostly because it was the only room that could fit four dragons, a hacker and a soldier of St. George without curious hatchlings wandering in. And that was a good thing, because my temper was running very short, and I was likely to snap at the first teenager who poked his head in wanting to know what we were doing.
The rest of the trip from Brazil had been uneventful. No ambushes, no vessels or agents of Talon leaping out to kill us in the middle of the jungle. No ancient Wyrm swooping in to swallow us in one bite. Though Ember had ranted a bit about spending more time in airport lines than the meeting with Ouroboros. Wed left the Amazon, caught a ride back to civilization and flown home as quickly as we could. Id arrived at the farmhouse half dreading Talon had already come and that nothing remained but charred, blackened skeletons of both buildings and hatchlings in their wake. But nearly everything was as I left it, and everyone was accounted for: twelve hatchlings, one human hacker and two female dragons. As she had promised, Jade had taken over in my absence, and the hatchlings had developed an almost fanatical respect for the Asian woman.
Mist had been with them, as well, though no one could tell me what she had been doing while we were in Brazil. Id told Wes what wed learned as soon as I could reach him, and Mist had gotten ahold of that information, too, because somehow she had been able to acquire an old map of the island, one that detailed the layout of the facility, the buildings, the fence line, everything. When Id demanded to know where the hell she had gotten it, shed told me her employer had been able to dig up the old blueprint and send it to her. She wouldnt say anything more, except that her mystery employer wished us luck with our mission, that he approved of us taking down the facility and would send us more information as he acquired it.
Of course, Id been suspicious as hell, but I couldnt argue that having a map to the unnamed island in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle was a godsend. I wouldnt look a gift horse in the mouth, but I couldnt decide if having the Basilisk around was worth the paranoia. I would have to deal with her eventually, but rescuing the breeders came first.
Unfortunately, after studying the map and discussing the security Talon would likely have set up around the island, it was becoming increasingly clear that we didnt have a chance.
Dammit, I snarled, slamming a palm onto the table where the map had been laid out, smoothed over, pointed at and argued about. Wed been stuffed into this dimly lit hole for several hours, trying to come up with some sort of plan for storming a Talon-owned island facility without getting killed, and we were no closer to rescuing the breeders than wed been when we first started. The problems were always the same. How were the six of us going to sneak onto a heavily guarded island, make our way past the security and defenses and numerous Talon employees, to get to the breeders? And even if we did get to them, how were we going to sneak them off again? There could be several hundred dragons on that island, some of whom were likely to be pregnant and unable to Shift to human form. We certainly couldnt herd them all down to the water and tell them to swim for it.
I raked a hand over my scalp, feeling like I was beating my head against a wall as the truth slowly crept over me. There were too few of us. Six individuals, no matter how skilled, stubborn or determined, would not be able to pull this off. We didnt have the bodies, and we didnt have the resources. If we attempted to rescue the breeders on our own, we would all die.
Still, I couldnt give up. I had spent too many years searching for the facilities to stop now. I knew where the breeders were; Id promised myself Id free them all if I ever found them. I wasnt going to stop until I figured this out.
There has to be a way, I growled, staring at the map again, as if a solution would suddenly make itself clear. Something were missing. Something we havent thought of.
Riley, Wes said. Its in the middle of the bloody ocean, mate. Youre not going to float there on a raft. And who knows how much armed security is between you and the breeders? Not to mention all the normal Talon employees, all the people who actually take care of the dragons, the facility and the island. Itll be like assaulting an amusement park.
I dont want excuses, I snapped at him. I dont want you to tell me its impossible. I want you to figure out a way to rescue the dragons Talon has been using as fucking broodmares for years. There has to be a way to do this.
There is.
Embers voice floated to me through the darkness. I looked up and saw the red hatchling standing quietly beside the soldier, one fist against her chin in thought. Her green eyes were narrow and solemn as they rose to mine. There is a way, she continued. But...youre not going to like it.
We cant do this alone, the red hatchling went on, looking to the others, as well. I think everyone has realized that. It will be next to impossible to get to the breeders, and even if we do, we dont have a way to get them all off the island. We need help. She glanced at St. George beside her, and her jaw tightened. Were going to need the Order.
Oh, fuck that.
I was about to follow up the thought with the actual words when Jade cut me off. Listen to her, Riley, the Asian dragon urged. We cannot do this ourselves, that is very clear. We have allied with the Order in the past. So far they have kept their word and have not hunted us down.
That was different, I said. We were saving their hides back then. They didnt have much of a choice. I sure as hell am not giving the Order of St. George the location of Talons breeder females. What do you think will happen if we take a bunch of dragonslayers onto that island, where there will be countless female dragons with no way to escape? What do you think the breeders will do if they see St. George storming the facility? Itll be a fucking massacre.
Normally, I would agree with you. Shockingly, this came from the soldier, making Ember frown at him. He stood quietly at the edge of the table, gazing down at the map. Giving the Order the location of the facility... His brow furrowed. Its a risky move. Riley is correctSt. George has always suspected Talon has a place where they keep many of their female dragons. In the Order... He hesitated, as if reluctant to continue, before saying in a grave voice, The highest priority was always taking out the female dragons, because without them, the race couldnt survive. In any other circumstances, I wouldnt go to the Order. Martin may be honorable, and some of his soldiers are beginning to realize that not all dragons are the same. But if St. George discovers that the largest population of female dragons is together in one spot... He shook his head. Riley has every right to be concerned.
But, he added before I could feel vindicated, these arent normal circumstances. Ember is rightthere are too few of us to fight a war. We need allies, and the Order of St. George might be the only ones who can help. Theyre scattered and broken, but they still have resources we could leverage. If we can get to the Order and convince them that were better off standing together, we might have a chance to pull this off.
I tried very hard not to snarl at them both. If they listen to us at all, I said. And decide not to shoot us in the back of the head the second we set foot on that island.
What else are we going to do, Riley? Ember asked in a reasonable voice. We dont have many choices. Talon is still out there trying to kill us and probably the Order, as well. They dont want any survivors, and if this keeps up, there will be no one left who can stand against the organization. How long before they decide they dont need the breeder dragons, too?
Dammit, I growled, clenching a fist. They were right; we were out of options, and time was running out. As much as I hated it, it seemed we were going to have to ally with the dragonslayers one more time. All right. I sighed. But if this turns into a slaughter, thats it, do you hear me? Ive already lost too many hatchlings to this stupid war. If St. George decides it would rather shoot us than try to stop Talon, Im done with them for good, understand? Neither of them answered, though Ember gave a solemn nod. All right, I muttered. So, how exactly are we going to get the Order of St. George to listen to us again without taking off our heads? Teaming up to survive the Night of Fang and Fire was one thing. How the hell are we going to convince an army of dragonslayers to rescue an island of dragons?
Ill contact Lieutenant Martin, the soldier said. He, at least, will hear me out. And for the rest of the Order, well just have to play it by ear.
Fine. Make the call, St. George. And lets hope this doesnt turn into a massacre.
Mist stirred, glancing at the ladder leading out of the storm cellar. If were done here, she said, and it was more of a statement than a question, Ill excuse myself.
I raised an eyebrow at her. Got somewhere to be, Mist?
She gave me a somewhat evil smile that said she knew exactly what I was thinking. Nowhere in particular, she said. And without waiting for me to reply, she walked across the room, swung onto the ladder and disappeared through the hatch.
Suspicion flared. I wanted to ask again about the mysterious employer that she was obviously going to contact. That he could so easily acquire the map to a top-secret island run by dragons seemed too good to be true. You didnt just happen to have those things lying around. But I knew Mist would never reveal his identity unless he gave the order himself, and that worried me. The ex-Basilisk wasnt working for Talon, but she wasnt working for us, either. This employer of hers might be helping us now, but if he suddenly decided to have her sabotage everything we were fighting for, she would do so without hesitation.
I needed to find out what she knew. Who her employer really was. And if Mist wasnt going to volunteer the information herself, then I would just have to get it some other way.
Ember
This is it, Garret murmured.
From the backseat I peered past his shoulder to gaze up at the church in the middle of the clearing. Not a tiny wooden thing with a single room, either; this was a large stone building with a high steepled roof, soaring arched windows and a bell tower. Its walls were covered in moss, the roof tinged green, but the windows were all intact, and despite the emptiness of it all, it looked like it had been somewhat taken care of.