by Jadyn Chase
But she pulled her thoughts away from him for now. She had a job to do.
"Please follow me, gentlemen," Cara said, and led the five of them to the front of the next cave.
"This is The Obsidian," she said. "He is fifty-five percent dragon and forty-five percent human."
"No falcon genes?" All of the men stood tall in an effort to see The Obsidian, who was curled up far in the back of the cave.
"No other genes of any kind. Just dragon and human. We believe that these are the most intelligent of the dragons, but they are also what some call 'sharp and hot.' Almost too clever. Too independent. But they are such fearless fighters that it's been worth it to use them."
"He looks like he's made of glass."
"In a sense, he is," Cara said. "Obsidian, of course, is volcanic glass. Very strong, very sharp. Their wings have a distinctive sound as they cut through the air. And Obsidians – 'Glassies' – are, of course, very hard to see at night."
"He looks smaller than the other one, though."
Cara frowned. The Obsidian was curled up like a cat far in the back of the cave and not moving. "Well, he's just hard to see all the way in the back. But he's the same size as the other two, I assure you."
"Yes – but – I can see the face. The skin is smoother. The face is – more human-like than the other one."
Cara just shook her head. "He may seem smoother because of the glassy appearance. The face is no different. I'm sure it's just because he's lying down and far in the back of the cave."
Of course that's all it was. How could he look any different? These men just were not accustomed to seeing dragons. Cara deliberately looked away from The Obsidian and led them to the third of the caves.
"This is The Diamond," she said, and stopped a few yards away from the transparent wall. The dragon was very close to it and looking very agitated, rocking from side to side, raising his wings, and lowering his head with his mouth open as if meaning to roar. "Fifty-five percent dragon, forty percent human, and five percent falcon."
"He looks angry," whispered one of the men, apparently remembering what Cara had told them before they'd come in here about keeping a low voice.
She nodded. "The Diamond clones – the Shinies – are the most powerful. They are nearly invulnerable, but they have a very fierce and independent nature. In a clear sky, close by the sun, they are nearly invisible, as well as on a snowy surface."
Suddenly they all jumped back as The Diamond Dragon arched his neck and did roar at them, with his huge mouth open and his rows of teeth bared. The transparent wall wavered and shook.
The men all stood in shocked silence until he finally closed his mouth and stalked away, apparently to go sulk near the back of his cave. "I thought you said they breathed fire?" one man finally said.
"They do have that ability," Cara said. "That's why we had to dissect one of the white ones when we observed them doing precisely that. We had to understand how any living creature could actually breathe fire.
"It turns out that dragon's fire is created from pure magnesium. That makes it blinding white and extremely hot – somewhere around five thousand degrees Fahrenheit."
"That's why you can't let them drink seawater," said one man, nodding. "Because of the magnesium."
"That's right," Cara said. "Seawater contains magnesium chloride. A dragon's system breaks it down into pure form for use in creating fire. All they have to do is drink from the ocean."
"Is that why there's no danger of these three dragons breathing fire?"
"That's right. Only purest distilled water for them. No seawater, no fire."
Cara led the five men back to the center of the cavern again, watching how they could not resist turning to look at the creature one more time. "Now you've seen our dragons, gentlemen. The original models – the white ones we first discovered – are simply called Lizards. They remain in their own cave with collars to control them and keep them from straying, or from challenging and fighting with any of the other dragons.
"The ones you see in here are known individually by their names, but together they are the Three Jewels. They are our originals, the most valuable of all. The rest of them are all clones of these three and are called the Fleet Dragons. They are being conditioned for use as fighting weapons and are commonly known as Birdies, Glassies, and Shinies."
She paused, taking a deep breath, and then made herself look each one of the men in the eye. "All of you are here because you were drone pilots in your former lives. You piloted full-size aircraft remotely, either from a station on the ground or from the secondary cockpit of another plane. Now you will learn to pilot another kind of craft. A dragon."
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Cara led the group of five men out of the great cavern and into another long corridor running under the ground. "This will be the last stop on our tour today, gentlemen. We're going to the other cave complex. It's the one where the Fleet Dragons are kept – the ones you will be piloting."
This next cavern was even larger than the first, but most of it was given over to three enormous caves with the same transparent fronts as the caves of the Three Jewels.
"The Glassies – the Obsidians – are outside right now, being flown," Cara said. "So the Shinies and the Birdies are here, inside their own caves."
"Don't they ever mix?"
"Never," Cara said. "They must be housed and trained separately because the different types see each other as competitors. One vicious fight between a Glassy and a Shiny, resulting in the loss of both dragons, was all it took to prove that to us."
She led them all to the stairs and up to a viewing platform behind a huge window. The sun shone blindingly bright over the snowy landscape and the distant ocean. "If you look closely – give your eyes a moment to adjust to the brightness – I think you'll see them."
And they did. Some thirty-two Glassies, black and gleaming, flew both independently and in formation over the white land and white-capped sea. Cara watched all five of the men, feeling just a little smug at their stunned reactions.
"All this – all those dragons – are piloted from the ground?"
"Through those implants?"
"Yes. They are. And responding perfectly, as you can see."
"I'm noticing," said one man, "that some seem larger than others. Is that true, or is it just the perspective?"
Cara glanced out of the window again. "No, you are correct," she said. "You will see some smaller ones among each group. It takes about three years from hatching until they are trained and big enough to fly and fight. By contrast, the Lizards need only about a year to reach full maturity." "Three years," said one of the men. "You mentioned losing a couple to a fight. Have any others been lost?"
"Yes. They have." Cara's voice was firm. "I must remind you that these are animals. Not people. With that in mind, you should know that two years ago, one of the cloned dragons – a Shiny – died in a training accident. Its pilot misjudged its capabilities and it became exhausted, falling onto the rocks near a small island far out in the ocean.
"But no humans died in that accident. All we had to do was clone another dragon, and let it live and grow. No billions of dollars spent and – far better – no pilots killed."
She turned to face all of the men and looked each one in the eye as she spoke. "They are animals. Much as I do love them, these dragons are animals. They are not people. They need pilots, and that's why you are here."
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Obsidian Embers Preview
My name is Dr. Olivia Montgomery. As one of the lead scientists for the top secret “Reborn Fire” project, a big part of my job was to observe and study the Obsidian Dragon. I know, it sounds crazy right. Just a couple years ago nobody would have thought that dragon’s even existed, and here I was directly involved in their creation.
When the ancients were first discover
ed deep below the ice-locked surface in Antarctica, our military was quick to act. Using the latest in genetic engineering, new hybrid dragons were created using human DNA. These new hybrids were stronger, smarter and easier for us to control. This allowed the military to quickly train and deploy their new weapons to maintain the peace in a world that was rapidly spinning out of control.
I knew there was more to them though.
I worked with the Obsidian day and night, I knew him better then I knew anyone else in that military base. A deep connection had grown between us, we couldn’t talk, but I could see in his eyes, he felt the same way.
Before they turned, rumors were circulating that the dragons began to show strange chameleon-like abilities to change their appearance. No one knew for sure though, and it was quickly dismissed in the beginning. But it wasn't long before that all changed.
Now, I knew there was more to these rumors, and when the dragons finally shifted into human form for all to see, my thoughts were confirmed.
The Obsidian was a tall, dark and gorgeous man. With long flowing locks, a rock-solid body, and those all telling eyes, they never changed. There was an instant recognition between the two of us, and we were finally able to communicate with one another. His name was Kushanu, and he had so much to tell me. I was in heaven…for a while.
Then in an instant, everything came to an end.
The world as you and I knew it was over, and it quickly became everyone for themselves in a desperate fight for survival.
Kushanu and his dragons saved me that day though, they saved many of us.
Now he wants to claim me as his mate.
Can I trust him?
Would I survive if I didn’t?
Obsidian Embers is a little bit of sci-fi, fantasy and shifter romance all rolled into one. It does contain some steamy scenes, has no cliffhangers and a guaranteed happily ever after.
CHAPTER ONE
May, 2030
At a secret location in Antarctica
On a quiet night deep below the ice-locked surface of Antarctica, Olivia Montgomery sat in the dimly lit Cavern of The Three Jewels and studied her dragon. His name was The Obsidian, and Olivia never thought of him as anything else.
Two other women did the same with their dragons. Inside the enormous cavern were three huge caves with transparent, unbreakable windows covering the entire front opening. Watching The Sapphire was Dr. Cara Winborne, and gazing at The Diamond was Dr. Rose Morgan.
At the shadowed center of the Cavern – which was larger than the largest airplane hangar – was a sprawling collection of tables, shelves, cabinets, and computer monitors. A number of men and women sat at those workstations, watching their screens and typing up their notes and calculations.
All of them were well accustomed to the three women who were so fond of watching their particular dragons. They paid no attention to anything but those screens.
And likewise, Olivia had eyes for nothing else but the beautiful creature called The Obsidian.
He was indeed a dragon, just like something out of the oldest legends . . . but he, like the other two in the cavern, as well as their many clones kept as Fleet Dragons in another cavern, had been genetically engineered to be perfect weapons. Weapons that could be sent out to rain fire and destruction on enemies who would never see them coming because they could fly at one foot as easily as they could at fifty thousand feet.
Weapons that would keep any other men from dying in combat.
But The Obsidian himself was safe from that, as were the other two dragons in this cavern. The task of The Three Jewels was solely to live: to occasionally fly outside for exercise and food, and to be observed and studied round the clock – and to provide cells for cloning more Fleet Dragons.
And they all wore heavy collars around their necks enabling their remote operators to control them in any way they wished.
Olivia had a small tablet with her for making notes if she wished, but it rested unnoticed beside her on the stone floor. She'd watched him for so long that she was certain she'd recognize the slightest change in him, no matter what it was.
Right now he lay, as he so often did, curled up near the back of his large, high-ceilinged cave. It was difficult to tell since he was in the shadows, but The Obsidian – just like all the dragons – was easily the size of a very large fighter-bomber aircraft.
The low lights, -dimmed to approximate a twelve-hour day-night schedule even here at the bottom of the world- gleamed softly on the dragon's glassy scales and gave them a deep green cast in some spots. His strongest feature was probably the long, black mane that grew down his neck and back.
His eyes were closed. Olivia knew very well that those eyes were as black and gleaming as his scales were, yet still had a sharply human look to them.
Olivia played with her own long, straight dark hair as she watched him sleep. She had always felt a bond with The Obsidian, as though she was one of his own kind and belonged with him more than she did with humans.
She was not dragonkind, of course, but for now she would settle for being his closest observer. I would rather be here with you, like this, than with any other man, in any other way.
"Still here?"
Looking up, Olivia saw Zachary who was one of the technicians standing a few feet away. "Yes, Zach, I'm still here," she said, a little annoyed. "I am always here, in the Cavern of the Three Jewels. There is nowhere else that I'd rather be."
"Yes, I know. Don't you think that's a little strange?"
"Don't you think that's none of your concern?"
He sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But – still – "
"Still what?"
"Maybe you ought to spend a little time with the humans once in a while."
She snorted. "I'm with them all the time."
"That's not what I meant, Sheila."
"I know it wasn't. And my name is Olivia."
Zach frowned. "I've seen your name on plenty of emails. It's always listed as 'Sheila Montgomery.'"
"It is. But – you see, a long time ago my little sister always called me 'Olivia'. I liked that better and I kept it."
"Sure." Zach walked a few steps closer, and sat down facing the huge transparent wall. "I guess I'm not sure what you see in him."
She turned back to the gazing at the dragon, and smiled faintly. I'm sure you don't.
"Maybe it's his eyes," she said. "His eyes look human to me. Not birdlike, like The Sapphire's or The Diamond's."
"They all look the same to me."
I'm sure they do. "His eyes should look more human. The Obsidian is the only one with no falcon genes. He is entirely human and dragon."
"But the majority of his genes are dragon. From the Lizards. He is – "
Olivia glared at him. "They are mere animals. He is nothing like them."
"But he is," Zach insisted. "Those 'Lizards' are so ancient that we can only guess at how old they really are, or how long they'd been hibernating in their Antarctic cave before we found them."
She shook her head, knowing she was never going to be able to get him to see things from her perspective. "Doesn't matter. What does matter is that those ancient, primitive little dragons contributed their genes to create a real beauty like The Obsidian. He has the strength of a dragon and the wisdom of a human."
"No. He doesn't,” Zach scoffed. “He's an animal, too. He's dangerous. They all are."
"Of course he's dangerous! But I'm not afraid of him. I feel sorry for you, if you are."
Zach sighed and shook his head. Far in the back of the cave, The Obsidian stirred, slowly raised his long neck, and then turned his head to look at them. As always, Olivia felt that his face was more like that of a man than that of a beast. And of course, his eyes . . . his deeply shining, black-as-night eyes . . .
"Olivia, I know him as well as you do – "
"No. You don't know him like I do! You know the others. The clones. The Fleet Dragons. You fly them by their implants. You don't know him."
>
"Okay. I've never flown him. But he was never intended to be flown. He was the first of the Glassies and we keep him here to keep him safe. I sure do know the others, though. They're smart. They're fast. They're as clever as dinosaurs and just as treacherous."
"The treachery is the human side of them."
He made a noise of frustration. "Sure. Maybe it is. Maybe you're right about that. But whatever the reason, Olivia, I think you're – I think – "
"You think what?"
"Some of us are worried about you. You spend so much time here just hanging around outside his cave."
"I'm studying him. It's part of my job."
"There's studying, and there's obsessing."
She sat up straight at that, and glared at him fiercely. From the corner of her eye she could see The Obsidian moving slowly across the cave towards the transparent wall. "Sure, I come down here. I study him, and I sit with him. But why not?"She glanced at the dragon again. "He's never allowed to be with his own kind. Or with anyone. I'm all the company he has."
"Please promise me something," Zach said. "Please promise me you won't ever go in there with him."
Olivia caught her breath at that, and involuntarily glanced up at the heavy door in the cave wall right beside her. "You know that's not allowed," she growled. How did he know she had thought about it? "It would be grounds to send me away from here for good if I ever did that. You know I won't risk it."
"Okay," he said, sounding somewhat relieved. "I wouldn't want you to go away, either."
"Besides – look at those two!" she hissed, waving her hand forward and backward towards the other two caves. "How are they any different from me? Dr. Winborne sits with The Sapphire all the time, even though he's more like a big blue parakeet than a dragon. He's so tame, he's got feathers on his wings."
Zach shrugged. "He's got a lot of falcon genes, in addition to human and dragon. That makes him – "
"And Dr. Morgan," she went on, nodding toward The Diamond's cave, "Morgan watches The Diamond almost as much as I watch The Obsidian. She thinks The Diamond is beautiful. I don't."
