Inferno

by Julie Kagawa

  Mist ignored the soldiers, nodded at me and glided up the beach toward the jungle. Without so much as a rustle, she vanished into the shadows and undergrowth, where she would scout ahead, silent and deadly, to warn us of any potential guards, patrols or ambushes.

  “All right, people.” Martin’s voice cut through the stunned silence. “Get it together. You’ve all seen dragons before, so wipe those vacant looks off your faces. Remember, this is recon and rescue, not assault. Be on your guard, and don’t shoot anything unless I give the order. I don’t care what it is—unless I tell you to kill it, I’d better not hear you thinking about pulling the trigger. Let’s move.”

  The soldiers snapped into mission mode. Dragons or no dragons, this at least was familiar to them. Flipping our tac lights on, white beams cutting faintly through the grasping shadows, we crept silently up the beach and pushed our way into the jungle.

  It closed around us, thick and menacing. The branches blocked out the sky and what little light there was, so the shadows beneath were nearly impenetrable. It was also ominously silent, much like the jungle in Brazil had been when we’d approached Ouroboros’s domain. Except for our own footsteps and the rustle of vegetation as we pushed through, this jungle seemed eerily empty of life.

  About ten minutes into the trek, we discovered why. The trees opened into a large clearing. A wide strip of open ground, probably fifty yards across, stretched away to either side, seeming to form a ring around the inner island.

  Crouching at the edge of the trees, I scanned the clearing warily, searching for patrols and hidden sentries. But the open space was empty and still, no guards, towers or anything as far as I could see. So why an open area smack-dab in the middle of the island? Something wasn’t right; I smelled a trap, even though I couldn’t see one.

  “Thoughts?” I muttered to Martin, crouched a few feet away. The lieutenant shook his head.

  “I don’t like it. But I don’t see anything, either.”

  Mist glided out of the trees, silent as a damned ghost, appearing next to me without a sound. “There are no patrols or guards on either side of the perimeter,” she announced. “It’s clear.”

  “How certain are you of that, dragon?” Martin asked.

  Mist frowned. “Very,” the Basilisk answered. “Unlike you, Lieutenant, I can see in the dark. I can also smell a human from a great distance if the wind is blowing right. There are no signs that anyone has been in the vicinity for a very long while. There are no tracks, no patrol paths, no disturbed vegetation. No movement. I know how to do my job, human.”

  “Easy, dragon,” Martin said quietly. “Not questioning your abilities, but this seems suspicious because it’s so out of place. And I don’t like being out in the open.”

  “Well, we certainly can’t sit here all night,” I said, and rose to my feet. “Mist, keep scouting ahead. The rest of us will follow.”

  With Mist leading the way, we started across the open field. And for the first minute or two, everything was normal. I was beginning to think we’d actually reach the compound without too much trouble, but of course Talon never made things that easy.

  “Oh, no,” I heard the Basilisk whisper from up ahead, before whirling around. “Stop!” she hissed. “Everyone, freeze!”

  We froze. A couple of the soldiers raised their guns, glancing around as if expecting an attack, though the night remained silent and still. “Mist,” I said in a low voice, feeling my heartbeat roar in my ears. “What’s happening?”

  “I just figured out the reason this place isn’t guarded,” Mist said. She stood like a statue in the long grass, wings half-spread, tail held stiffly over the ground. “It doesn’t have to be. Look down, Cobalt, about twelve inches from your right foot. Carefully.”

  I followed her instructions, and my stomach gave a violent lurch as I saw a glint of metal in the weeds. “Shit,” I breathed. “This is a fucking minefield.”

  The soldiers, who were beginning to relax, went rigid again. Martin took a quiet breath and looked at Mist, frozen in the same spot. “Can you lead us through it, dragon?” he asked in a low voice.

  “I think so.” Mist looked around, narrowing her eyes. “If we move very slowly, I can tell where the mines have been buried. For the most part. Step exactly where I step, and we should be fine.”

  “Single file,” Martin told the soldiers beside us, and they moved, very carefully, into position. “No one goes forward unless the dragon tells us to.”

  I pressed close behind Mist, and we inched our way across the field. It was an agonizingly slow crawl, with Mist staring hard at the ground in front of her, sometimes standing motionless for long periods of time while she debated whether or not to go forward. Every time I moved or put my foot down, I held my breath, hoping I wouldn’t step on a hidden mine and trigger an explosion.

  Finally, after several tense, heart-pounding minutes, we reached the other side of the clearing. As we stepped into the tree line, I collapsed against a trunk in relief, as a couple soldiers did the same.

  “Well,” I muttered as Martin sank to a knee, gazing back over the field, “that probably shaved a good fifty years off my life. I vote we not do that again.”

  “Agreed,” Martin said dryly. “Though I think this isn’t as much about defense as it is about keeping the captives on the island.”

  “Yeah, I imagine so,” I said. “More to discourage the breeders from trying to run away than to keep anyone out.” I gazed back over the seemingly innocuous clearing and shivered. “I sure as hell wouldn’t want to risk it, especially in human form.”

  “Unfortunately,” Mist remarked, sounding worried, “it’s going to make getting the breeders out challenging. At the very least, it’s going to slow us down.”

  Dammit. I didn’t think about that. Let’s hope we don’t have to flee a bunch of guards on our way out.

  “Contact Sebastian,” Martin ordered, glancing at me. “His team should know about this.”

  I bristled. Contact him yourself, Lieutenant, the immature, defiant part of me thought. I’m not one of your damn soldiers. But this was not the time to play “you’re not the boss of me.” With a sigh, I turned the mic to the soldier’s private channel. “Hey. St. George.”

  “Riley?” came Sebastian’s voice immediately. “What’s your status? Everything all right?”

  “We’re fine. On target so far, but...ah, we’ve run into some potential problems.” Briefly, I told him about the minefield and our brush with death. “So if you come to a large open area, proceed with caution,” I advised. “One wrong step, and someone is going to have a really bad day.”

  “Understood.” Per normal, the soldier’s voice was obnoxiously calm, as if I’d told him we’d just passed a troupe of monkeys, not woven our way through a lethal minefield. “Thanks for the warning. I’ll let the rest of the squad know. Where are you?”

  “Close. By my estimate, we’re about a half mile from the fence line.”

  “Let us know when you’re in position.”

  “I will. Riley out.”

  I lowered my arm and looked at Mist, waiting quietly in the shadows. “All right,” I said, forcing a grin. “Into the jungle of death we go. You know, if this was a movie, we’d all be dropping like flies any second now.”

  Mist blinked, twitching her tail. Clearly, she didn’t appreciate the movie reference. “If this was a movie,” she replied, “you’d be the funny smart-ass who gets tragically killed.”

  “Ouch. I always thought I was the ruggedly handsome hero.”

  She rolled her eyes and slipped into the trees again. The rest of us followed, long shadows closing around us, and we continued into the jungle.

  Garret

  “That was Riley,” I told a frowning Lieutenant Ward as I cut contact with the rogue. “His team just ran into a minefield on their way to the compound. No incidents, but we shoul
d proceed with caution ourselves, in case there are more.”

  He grunted, giving a brief nod before turning to relay the information to the rest of the squad. His voice was clipped and matter-of-fact as he told everyone to keep their eyes open for mines and other hazards and to watch where they put their feet. No mention was made of Riley and the other team, and I didn’t expect there to be. Ward didn’t want to be here; the idea of rescuing dragons was abhorrent to him. He’d come along only to make sure his own soldiers made it out alive and to lead the assault on a Talon facility himself. Our job tonight was to create a big enough distraction for Riley and the others to sneak away with the breeders in tow, but Ward saw it as a chance to kill Talon servants.

  Probably better that way. At least here, on the front lines, Ward was good at what he was required to do. I doubted he would have been so eager if he were on the other team.

  Beside me, Ember moved silently through the grass, in human form for now, the slick material of the Viper suit making her a featureless shadow. As the only dragon in the group, she was remarkably calm, surrounded by the soldiers of the Eastern Chapterhouse, all of whom watched her with combinations of suspicion and dislike. Peter Matthews, especially, kept giving her sidelong looks, his lips twisted in a sneer. I stifled the simmering heat and anger burning in my chest, but kept a close eye on him. Should he decide to act on his thoughts and go after the lone dragon in our party, he would have to get past me first.

  Fortunately, the impending mission was taking priority over the dragon walking among us, and except for the dirty looks, the soldiers ignored Ember. We moved silently through the undergrowth, heading due north toward our target, until the trees thinned out and the outline of a wall could be seen at the top of a rise.

  Ward halted, holding up a hand, and the squad came to a full stop. At his signal to take cover, they melted into the brush and behind trees. I huddled in the ferns, Ember beside me, and peered at the gates a few hundred yards away. Even from this distance, it looked like the entrance to a prison, a pair of watchtowers flanking the iron doors and spotlights raking the ground. We had our target; now we just had to wait until Riley’s team gave the signal that they were in.

  “So far, so good,” Ember whispered, huddled close to me in the ferns. “Nothing has blown up or exploded in our faces, and no one has tried to shoot us in the back. I hope Riley and the others are okay.”

  “They’re trained for this,” I murmured back. “Riley knows what he’s doing, and Martin will keep the others in line. We just have to back them up when the time comes.”

  “I know. And I trust them.” She nodded, then took a deep breath. “We have to succeed here, Garret,” she whispered, staring at the wall with narrowed green eyes. “This is Riley’s White Whale. He’s been searching for the facilities for so long we can’t let him lose this now. And for the first time, dragons and the Order are truly working together, not for survival, but for something that will change everything.” She clenched a fist on her leg. “This mission is so important. We absolutely cannot fail.”

  “We won’t.” I put a hand over her fist. “No matter what it takes, or what we have to go through, we’ll get the breeders off this island and take them home.”

  “Together,” Ember added, turning to give me a piercing, almost challenging look. “No dying tonight, Garret. No crazy sacrifices. Whatever happens, we go home together.”

  I gave a wordless nod, and she pressed close, igniting the heat within. Crouched together, fingers intertwined, we watched the moon climb higher over the wall and waited for the coming chaos.

  Riley

  Another obstacle stood between us and our objective.

  This one, while not quite as lethal, was just as imposing—a twenty-foot wall of concrete, with wooden watchtowers on the corners. From where we crouched, my binoculars revealed a single guard manning the closest one. A large spotlight sat at the top of the tower, dark for now, but we certainly couldn’t afford to alert anyone to our presence. If even one guard sounded the alarm, the mission would be screwed.

  “Okay,” I muttered, staring up at the tower. “Guess it’s my turn, then. Mist?” I glanced at the white dragon. “You know what to do?”

  She gave me a Draconic look of disdain. “Climb the other watchtower and take out a guard without being detected,” she replied. “It’s almost as if I’ve trained for this exact sort of thing.”

  I smirked. “Did the sarcasm come with the class?”

  “You should know,” she replied, and slipped into the darkness like a wraith.

  Staying low to the ground, I ghosted up to the wall. Pressing close to the rough surface, I gazed at the top.

  Twenty feet. Not too bad. Years of training with the Basilisk branch made scaling even sheer concrete walls a piece of cake. Digging my fingers into whatever cracks and holes I could find, I started climbing.

  A few minutes later, after hauling myself to the lip of the wall, I got my first real look at the facilities.

  Son of a bitch. The place looked like a prison camp. To the left were several large buildings, including what was probably a headquarters office and the apartments for the humans living here. I could just make out the flat plate of a helicopter pad behind the biggest square building, confirming why there were virtually no roads to and from the compound. Their supplies were likely flown in. There were a few smaller structures that could be anything from storage to the main power building, but they didn’t really concern me. My attention was on the other half of the compound.

  Another fence, this one made of steel and topped with coils of barbed wire, surrounded a pair of large white buildings near the eastern side of the wall. Beyond the fence, the place reminded me of an institution or rehab facility, with meandering walkways traversing a large green lawn, benches and a small pond in the center of the yard. A basketball court and a tennis net stood to one side of the smaller white building, which was still a good three stories high. There were rows of windows on every floor, none of them barred, and the whole place seemed spotlessly clean and well maintained. But the barbed-wire fence, guard towers and spotlights sliding across the yard made it very clear that this was just a fancy prison, and everyone here had received a life sentence.

  The larger of the two buildings only confirmed that. It was six stories high, made of solid steel and concrete, with double iron doors tall enough to let an airplane through. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, dispelling both rage and excitement. I could not afford to be careless now. I was here, at the facilities. And they were about as horrible as I had imagined. I would free my fellow dragons tonight, every single one of them, or I would die trying.

  Preferably the first option.

  I shimmied up to the platform of the first tower and eased into the room with the guard. He sat in a chair with a pair of earphones on, bobbing his head to whatever was playing on his phone. It was easy enough to slip behind him, slide an arm around his neck and send him into unconsciousness. I grabbed what looked like a key card from around his neck, stuffed a gag into his mouth and zip-tied his hands behind the chair as Mist’s voice came to me over the channel.

  “Target has been neutralized. Watchtower B is clear.”

  “Got it.” I fished a rope out of my pack and tossed it over the wall to let Martin and the rest of them scale the barrier and drop to the other side. As we converged again, Mist slipped out of the shadows in human form, her black Viper suit making her blend perfectly with the night. She gave me a short nod as she rejoined us. Another obstacle cleared. One more to go.

  “Wes,” I muttered as we crept toward the prison fence, keeping to the shadows and along the dark sides of the buildings. “We’re over the main wall. Approaching the prison yard now. What’s the security like outside?”

  “The spotlights are on a random rotation,” Wes replied. “Electronic locks on the outer door, but I should be able to get you through that,
no problem.”

  “Don’t worry about the locks,” I told him. “I grabbed a key card from one of the guards. It should get us through the door.”

  “Oh, well, bully for you. The challenge will be getting across the yard. Right now, I can program the spotlights to do a patterned sweep for a few seconds, but you’re still going to have to get through without blundering into one of them. Think you can do that?”

  I peered around the corner of the apartment buildings. The barbed-wire fence sat about eighty yards away, spotlights gliding lazily across open space. The watchtowers on the corner would be manned, but the night was dark enough to hide a group of soldiers in black slipping over the ground. If we didn’t hit a spotlight. “Do we have another option?”

  “Well, it’s not too late to say bugger this, turn around and get off the bloody island of Dr. Moreau. But since that’s about as likely as the Elder Wyrm taking up tap dancing, I’d have to say...no.”

  “Yeah, well, if we do this again, try to say ‘no’ more quickly. We’re on a time limit.”

  “Keep your bloody pants on. I’m already working on it.”

  The spotlight movements changed. Very slightly; if you weren’t watching them, you wouldn’t notice. But before, where you couldn’t predict where the circle of lights were going, now both spotlights fell into a pattern. I studied the lights for a minute, memorizing the rotation, before turning to Mist.

  “You got it?”

  “The pattern?” The other Basilisk looked past me to the circling lights. “Yes.”

  “Think you can get up there and cut a big enough hole in the fence for the rest of us before the lights come around again?”

  A faint smile tugged at her lips. “I think I can manage that.”

  “Lieutenant.” I looked at Martin. “Once Mist creates a hole, we have to get across the yard while avoiding the spotlights. So that means your men have to follow close and do exactly what I do. Screw this up, and the whole compound will be on us in a heartbeat.”