by Julie Kagawa
That got her moving. With one last worried look, she turned and made the short leap onto the rusty service ladder against the wall. St. George watched her descend until the top of her head vanished from sight, then turned to me.
“Hurry,” he said calmly. “I’ll cover you.”
I scowled at him as I yanked on the pair of jeans. “I’m fine, St. George. You don’t have to stay here and babysit—”
The elevator hatch burst open, and a scaly gray head lunged out, hissing. I jumped, and St. George instantly raised his weapon and shot it twice in the head and neck. It screeched and dropped away, and the soldier lowered the pistol, backing away with a steely expression. “That’s it, I’m out,” he announced as clones began clawing their way through the opening, hissing and snarling. “Move!”
I went, leaping from the roof and grabbing the rungs as I came down, wincing as my back and ribs protested the sudden stop. I shimmied down a few feet and felt the ladder shake as the soldier landed on it, as well. The elevator shaft echoed with the snarls and hisses of the dragons above us, but either they were unable to climb down after us, or Shifting into human form to pursue hadn’t occurred to them yet.
Though that did give me a rather morbid realization.
“You know,” I panted, seeing Ember below me, moving swiftly down the rungs, “those things are dragons. If they wanted to kill us, what’s to stop them from filling this entire shaft with fire and burning us to a crisp while we’re human?”
“Not helpful, Riley!” came Ember’s voice from somewhere below.
“They don’t want to kill us,” St. George replied. “At least, not all of us. They want Ember alive, to take back to Talon. That’s what Dante said.”
“Yeah, well, good luck with that,” Ember said defiantly, her feet thumping on the rungs as she climbed down the shaft. “I can’t believe Dante would set us up like this...again.” She sighed. “Dammit, who am I kidding?” she whispered, her voice nearly inaudible in the darkness. “If Dante knew we were coming here, he’d know I would want to talk to him. He made sure that I would see him, just to lure us in here. So this...this is my fault.”
“Stop it, Firebrand,” I growled down at her. “We all agreed to do this. We all wanted to know what Talon was up to, if they were planning anything shady. I think we sure as hell got our answer.” A shriek rang out somewhere overhead, and I shivered. “So now the question becomes, what can Talon do with an army of soulless clone dragons, and what’s that going to mean for the rest of us?”
“Nothing good,” St. George muttered above me. I couldn’t argue with him there.
We continued down the shaft in silence until we reached the last floor. Swinging myself onto the ledge between the drop-off and elevator doors, my legs nearly buckled and I staggered. Ember quickly grabbed my arm, pulling me back from the edge.
“We need to bandage those,” she whispered, her gaze going to my shirt, where I could feel the bloody fabric sticking to my skin.
“Let’s get out of here first,” I muttered back as St. George joined us on the ledge, also giving me a concerned look. I stepped away from them and wedged my fingers into the crack between the elevator doors. “We’ll call Wes, get back to the safe house and then decide if we need to build a giant underground shelter to wait out the next fifty years while Talon unleashes the dragon apocalypse. St. George, grab the other door, would you?”
He did, and together we pried them open, though I had to bite my lip to stifle a grunt of pain as we slid them back. The soldier leaned out and peered into the darkness beyond. “I don’t see anyone,” he murmured. “Looks clear.”
Silently, we slid out of the elevator and crept down the hall, which opened up into a spacious lobby with high ceilings, a large front desk and a few chairs and sofas placed strategically over the floor. To the right, an escalator led up to a second-floor balcony that overlooked the lobby, and straight ahead, maybe fifty feet away, were the front doors that represented freedom.
“Almost there,” Ember whispered, and bounded forward.
We sprinted for the doors, but before we were halfway across the floor, Dante’s voice cracked like a whip in the silence.
“Ember! Stop!”
I looked back, and my heart sank.
The lobby behind us was full of dragons. Not just a dozen or so; a massive flood of iron-gray clones crept from the shadows along the walls, hissing as they came into the light. They slithered over the tables and sofas, leaped atop the welcome desk on the back wall, crowded forward in a mass of scales, wings and teeth. More identical humans appeared on the balcony overhead, raised their assault rifles and pointed them down at us. Standing between them, glaring down at us in triumph, was Dante.
We hit the front doors, Ember slamming her body into them with a crash, but they held. I reached them and drove my foot into the barrier between us and freedom, but they didn’t even shake. Sealed, I realized, staring at the thick metal barriers in dismay. Nothing short of an explosive or a speeding dump truck was getting through them tonight.
I slumped and slowly turned to face the army at our backs. End of the line, Riley. I was wounded, St. George was out of ammo and we were backed into a corner with a sea of dragons closing in from all sides. Wes, I thought, I’m glad you’re not here. Sorry to bail on you like this, but take care of my underground for me.
I took a deep breath, glanced at St. George and smirked. “You take the hundred on the left, I take the hundred on the right?”
He gave me the grim smile of someone who was prepared to go down fighting. “Meet you on the other side.”
“No!” Ember cried, her voice ringing through the lobby, and lunged forward.
EMBER
I stepped forward, putting myself between the clones, Garret and Riley. Instantly, the dragons tensed, muscles coiling to spring at me. Ignoring them, I raised my head, seeking the lone figure on the balcony.
“Call them off, Dante! Tell them to stand down. I want to talk to you!”
“Hold,” Dante barked, his voice barely audible over the hissing of the clones. They froze immediately, becoming as still and silent as rocks. But they were still just a lunge away from us, a chilling, unmoving wave, blank eyes glittering in the darkness. I took a deep breath and stepped forward, glaring up at my twin. “I have a proposal for you.”
“Ember.” Garret’s voice echoed at my back, soft and wary, making my stomach tighten. He could guess what I was about to do. “Don’t.”
Ignoring him, I closed my eyes, gathering my resolve, then looked up at my brother again. “Let them go,” I said firmly. “You win, Dante, but I’m setting the terms now. No one dies, that’s my proposal. You want me to come back to Talon?” I gestured behind me. “Swear to me that you’ll let them live, and I’ll go with you tonight.”
“Ember!” Riley snarled, and I spun on him, furious.
“Let me do this, Riley,” I snapped, desperate to convince him. “We can’t win this one. Even if we fight, they’re just going to kill you and take me back, anyway. At least this way, I’ll know you’re alive. You and Garret both. Please.” My gaze went to the soldier, standing rigidly beside him. “Don’t fight them,” I whispered, lowering my voice so only Garret and Riley could hear. “Don’t throw your life away. There’s too much at stake now. Look around you.” I made a tiny gesture at the army of dragons at my back. “Someone has to fight this. Someone has to warn the rest of our world what Talon has done. The underground, St. George, everyone will be affected. Who knows how many of these things Talon has?”
Garret came forward. His expression was tormented as he stared at me, but he didn’t argue. He knew, just as I did, that we couldn’t win. “And what about you?”
“I’ll be all right,” I whispered. “They’re not going to kill me, not with all the trouble they’ve gone through to take me alive. I don’t kno
w why they want me so badly, but if I have to go back, I’m damn sure going to get something out of it.” Stepping close, I put a hand on his cheek, gazing into his eyes. “I can’t watch you die,” I whispered. “Not when there’s something I can do to stop it. At least, this way, you’ll still be free.
“If Talon wants me to come back,” I continued, raising my voice again, making certain Dante could hear every word, “they’re going to let you go. If not, if they try to kill you here, I swear I will fight this army till my last breath, and I will take down as many dragons as I can. They’re going to have to kill me to get me to stop.” I turned then, facing my brother, who still watched imperiously from the balcony. “I’ll come back with you,” I said. “But only if you let Garret and Riley go. That’s my bargain, Dante. Either we all leave this room alive and unharmed, or none of us do.”
Dante was silent a moment, considering. Around us, the clones were also motionless, waiting. I could feel Garret and Riley at my back, tense and ready to explode into action, but I couldn’t look at either of them. I knew they would fight without hesitation. Even vastly outnumbered and outgunned, I knew they would struggle as long as they were still breathing, and they would die bravely defending what they loved. But they would still die. We couldn’t stand against Talon’s new army, this mass of chilling dragon clones who stared at us with eyes like empty mirrors. Even if I went back to Talon, if Riley and Garret were still alive, there was hope.
“Very well.” Dante’s voice drifted down from the balcony. “If that is what it takes to get you to come back, Ember, then you have a deal. I promise I won’t kill them.”
“That’s not good enough.” An annoyed look crossed his face, and I narrowed my eyes. “They walk out, right now, before I go anywhere with you. I want to see them go. And I swear, Dante, if I surrender and you double-cross me, you will never get my cooperation. I’ll fight you and Talon every step of the way, for the rest of my life, until you kill me.”
“I know you will,” Dante replied, frowning. “I know you’re stubborn enough to do it. And I don’t want that, Ember. Believe what you want, but hurting you is the last thing I set out to do.” He sighed, running a hand over his head. “All right,” he finally said. “You have a deal, Ember. The soldier and the rogue can leave, and I won’t try to stop them.”
I crossed my arms. “Prove it,” I ordered, making his jaw tighten. “I’m not taking a step until I know you’re serious. Open this door, right now, and let them go.”
Dante’s eyes flashed green with anger, but he turned and pulled out his phone, tapping the screen several times. A moment later, there was a beep behind us, and the metal barrier in front of the door slid up.
Raising his head, Dante addressed the army of dragons below him. “Vessels!” he called. “Stand down! Now!”
The horde of dragons rippled back, sinking to their haunches or bellies, but still watching us with flat, silvery eyes. They didn’t move, but their bodies were like tightly coiled springs, ready to attack with a word.
I caught Riley’s gaze, watching me from against the door frame. He was breathing hard, one side of his shirt stained dark red. I could see Cobalt just below the surface, wanting to burst out and fling himself at his enemies, numbers and consequences be damned. But there was also weary resignation in his eyes; he knew there were too many to fight, that we would die if we made our final stand here. I could tell he was thinking about his hatchlings, his network and his underground, because they were never far from his mind.
I swallowed hard and peeked back at Garret. He stared down at me, his gaze intense, metallic eyes stony with determination. “Ember,” he whispered, and his voice was anguished. I put a hand on his chest.
“Go, soldier boy,” I told him. “Get out of here. You know we can’t win this one. Walk out, and live to fight another day.”
Footsteps thumped behind us. A pair of guards approached, weapons raised menacingly, to flank me on either side. Garret retreated a few steps, backing up until he stood with Riley, the open door at their backs. Riley pushed himself off the frame, his gaze dangerous as he met my eyes.
“We’ll find you,” he promised, his eyes glowing as he took one step back, toward the open door. “We’ll get you out again, I swear it.”
“I know,” I whispered, memorizing their faces before I jerked my head at the door. “Go. Get the hell out of here before Dante changes his mind. Go!”
Their jaws tightened, and they went, both of them, slipping through the door and out of sight. Not two seconds after they cleared the frame, the metal barrier slid back with a clang, cutting us off from each other and trapping me in the room with the clones.
I swallowed the terror threatening to overwhelm me and turned to face Dante, alone.
The soldiers closed in. One of them took my arms and slapped a pair of thick metal cuffs around my wrists. They were heavier than normal handcuffs, solid bands of steel nearly two inches wide. I didn’t know what good they would do if I decided to turn into a dragon, but my stomach dropped all the same.
Without speaking, the guards motioned me forward. I spared a last look at the door Garret and Riley had gone through, hoping they were running as fast as they could from this place, before taking a deep breath and stepping into the dark.
Back to Talon. Like a delinquent runaway, only I knew my punishment would be far worse than anything the humans could think of. What would Talon do to me? I wondered. Lock me up for the rest of my life? That seemed rather pointless, considering all the trouble they went through to find me. Would they torture me for information about Riley’s network and Garret’s knowledge of St. George? Or—and my stomach heaved at this thought—would they ship me off to the facility, where I would become a breeder like the rest of Talon’s disgraced female dragons?
Garret and Riley are free, I told myself as my stomach threatened to crawl up my throat. That’s all that matters. They’re alive, and as long as they’re out there, they’ll be fighting to get me away from Talon. I just have to endure until then, and not give Talon anything they want.
Shaking, I followed my captors single file through the room, passing dozens of metallic-gray dragons who watched me with pale, empty eyes. The guards led me into an elevator, which opened up onto the balcony overlooking the main floor. From up here, the sea of clones looked even more ominous, a glittering mass of scales, horns and wings. Dante stood with his back to me and both hands on the railing, gazing out over the clones. He glanced at me over his shoulder as I approached with the guards. “I didn’t want it to be like this, Ember,” he said as they drew me to a stop a few feet away. “I didn’t want to use force. Once we get back to Talon, you’ll see what we’re really trying to do.”
I raised my cuffed hands. “Seems pretty obvious to me.”
His face tightened, but he didn’t order them removed. “You’re a danger to yourself, Ember,” he said, turning from the railing. “I want to trust you, but you’ve been with that rogue too long, listening to his lies. Please understand, this isn’t forever. But until we return to the organization, I can’t take any chances. I’m sorry.”
He raised his hand, gesturing someone forward. A woman stepped out from the shadows, not a clone but a human in a white lab suit. The suit itself made me nervous, but the syringe glittering in one gloved hand made me even more jumpy.
“What is that?” I growled as she stepped toward me, smiling in a way that I guessed was supposed to be calming, but it just made me want to bite her.
“Dractylpromazine,” Dante answered. “A mild sedative. It won’t hurt you. It will just make it impossible to Shift for the next few hours. Hold her still.”
The guards took my arms, immobilizing me as the woman stepped up and smoothly sunk the needle into my skin. I clenched my jaw at the stinging pain, remembering what Riley had told me about the drug, which was not a “mild sedative” but a very powerful tr
anquilizer that worked on our dragon half. Talon had developed it to further control and threaten the dragons in the organization, because not being able to Shift was one of the most frightening things that could happen to us. Almost immediately after the needle was removed, I began to feel drowsy, my limbs heavy and unresponsive. I shook my head, fighting to stay alert as Dante watched me with somber green eyes. I curled a lip at him.
“I suppose Talon told you that drugging your sister was necessary, as well,” I said scathingly.
“No.” Dante’s brow furrowed. “But I know you, Ember. I know how you’ll react, and I can’t risk anything happening to you. Even if I have to prevent you from hurting yourself.” His words sent a chill through me as I realized what he meant, that he was about to do something I wouldn’t like. Dante gave the human in the lab coat a quick glance. “Has the drug taken effect?” he asked.
“Yes, sir. It should be at full strength now.”
“Good.” He turned from me, pulling out his phone and placing it to his ear. “Squad two,” he said quietly. “Initiate. Take the rogue and the human. Alive.”
“What?” I snarled and lunged forward, but the guards grabbed my arms, holding me back. Instinctively, I tried to Shift, but there was no response from the dragon, making me furious and terrified all at once. “Dante, you lying, two-faced bastard!” I raged, struggling against my captors. “You said you would let them go.”
“I did not. I said I would let them live.” Dante’s expression was hard as he watched me, knowing I had tried to change just then. “Cobalt is the worst traitor Talon has seen in centuries,” he went on. “I will not return to the organization having let him slip through my fingers.” He shook his head. “No, I will keep my word and not kill him as I originally planned, but you all will be returning to Talon tonight.” His eyes narrowed, and he gave a small, chilling smile. “The Elder Wyrm is expecting us.”
PART III
