by Meg Ripley
Garrison had produced a knife and held it reverently in his hand. The blade curved backward and the handle curved in the opposite direction. “Your blood must flow into each other. You must cut each wrist to expose yourselves to your new brethren.” He handed the knife to Max.
The chopper pilot did as he was told and then handed the blade to Ash. He hefted the knife in his hand, realizing the handle was made of a giant claw. There was only a moment to contemplate this before he made the requisite cuts and then passed it on.
“Shift so that your new brothers can see your true forms. Then you must touch your wounds so that the blood flows through each of you.”
Drowning out the rest of the crowd around him, Ash tapped into his true identity. The polar bear inside him had been anxious to come out for several days now, impatient with the preparations for leaving Alaska and all the travel time. He no longer had to be cooped up, though. Ash let out a breath as his face elongated into a white muzzle and a dark nose. His ears rounded and softened as they changed position on his head, and his spine cracked slightly as it stretched to accommodate the rest of his animal form. The pale starlight illuminated his fur, making him feel conspicuous.
When he was finished, Ash looked around. Where Max had stood only a moment ago, a massive tiger now paced. Jack had melted into a fox with an intelligent face. Vance the cowboy was now Vance the cougar, and Flint’s cat joke now made sense.
But the biggest difference Ash noted was that Garrison was no longer stalking around the outside of their circle on two legs. He, too, had changed, but into a creature that Ash had to blink before he recognized. Deep green scales shimmered in the night, leathery wings hung down from his back, and huge spikes protruded from the back of his head. He was a dragon.
The massive reptile stepped inside their circle. His chest puffed out and everything froze for a moment before his head shot forward. As he parted his lips, a fireball escaped, igniting the wood that had been arranged in the center. He stepped back when it was done as though it’d been the simplest task in the world. “Touch wounds,” he reminded the inductees.
Blood dripped darkly down Ash’s fur as he extended one paw toward Max and the other toward Vance. They crowded closer together to account for Jack’s smaller form. Already, Ash swore he could feel something going on inside him.
Garrison stood nearby, speaking in a rasping language that Ash couldn’t identify. The sounds had a lilting cadence that made Ash think of the origins of the universe. He repeated them and then translated them to English. “Our blood becomes one, flowing within each other. Bonded as brothers, our nexus strong.”
But Ash didn’t need the interpretation to know something significant had changed inside him. He could feel his two selves, just as he always had. His polar bear and his human had lived in a state of acceptance of each other, even when they fought for space. But now, those two creatures weren’t alone in his head. He felt the presence of the others, even before he heard Max.
Holy hell.
Ha! It actually worked! That was Jack, for sure. Ash instantly understood he was the skeptic of the bunch; the one who wasn’t just uncertain about the new people, but about everything.
That’ll be convenient. Even in cougar form, Vance’s Texan accent was evident.
“The ceremony is complete,” Garrison intoned. “Even when you break the blood bond of your wounds, you’ll still be connected to each other.” He officially ended the ceremony by shifting back to his human self, his emerald wings folding into his body as his back shortened and straightened.
“We found out last time that it’s an exhausting process, so we’ve brought food,” Drake announced. “Let’s eat.”
A large array of food had been laid out on several picnic tables not far from the fire. Ash’s stomach growled, and he wondered how he hadn’t noticed them before. But he’d been preoccupied with whatever the hell was going on there, something he was still trying to figure out.
The new and the old members of the SOS Force sat together. Ash expected more explanations about rules and training, but the atmosphere was much more relaxed than it’d been back at their new headquarters. They spoke of their time in the service and adjustment to life afterwards, something Ash had hardly even gotten a chance to do before he’d been beckoned there. Still, as he piled his plate high, he had a good feeling about this. He was going to get along with these men. Maybe it was the blood bond created by Garrison’s dragon magic; he couldn’t be certain.
When Flint offered to show them a new flamethrower he’d designed, Drake touched Ash’s elbow to keep him back from the crowd. “There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”
“What’s that?” Ash wiped the grease from the fried chicken on his napkin and stepped into the shadows with the doctor.
“We’ve already got a mission for you.”
Ash tipped his head back. “Me? I thought we were a team. And I thought there was supposed to be all this training first.”
“Yes, you’re right on both counts. But as I said, we’ve got a lot of calls coming in. We have to filter them out and decide which ones to take on, and that often means we have to split up as well. Some of them really aren’t that bad, but every now and then, we get one that gives me a bad gut feeling. It’s the kind of thing we need to investigate right away, and the rest of the training and the lectures can wait until later. If you take this mission, you’ll still be able to reach us for consultation and backup.”
Ash shifted his weight, watching the man carefully. “Tell me about it.”
Drake cleared his throat. “It’s an unusual one. We typically only handle calls from within the U.S. We’re talking things like both intra-clan and inter-clan disputes that also involve drug or weapons trafficking and issues where the conclave isn’t strong enough to interfere. This call comes all the way from Antarctica, though.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” Ash had traveled widely in his time with Delta Force, but never to a place like that.
“I’m not. A killer whale pod has been spotting some very strange activity. They’re in the region regularly, since it’s near their hunting grounds. We don’t know a lot of details, but we’re talking about a sudden increase in military presence.” Drake’s jaw clenched with concern.
Ash didn’t understand. “I don’t see what that has to do with shifters.”
“The whales have also been spotting dragons.”
Running a hand through his hair, Ash sighed. “If you’d said that to me an hour ago, I would’ve laughed at you. I didn’t even know there were still dragons around.”
A shadow detached itself from the tree line and joined them, his form resolving itself into that of Garrison. “For a long time, I thought I was the only one left until I found my mate. She and I have been spending all our free time searching for evidence of more dragons in the world, but we wouldn’t have expected to find them in Antarctica.”
“No offense, but why don’t you go?”
Garrison huffed a sigh of frustration. “Because Maren—my mate—would be desperate to come with me. She’s pregnant, and even if I could convince her to stay here, I don’t think I should be that far from her.”
Drake smiled at his comrade before turning back to Ash. “You’ve got experience in cold climates, and you’re also the one who’s most recently out of the military. We know your counter-terrorism skills will help out on this mission as well. If the U.S. Armed Forces and the dragons are down there, then we need someone who can not only handle the cold, but who can be extremely discreet. We trust you with this, Ash.”
It’d already been a big decision to go there, and Ash had committed to that decision by going through the ancient ceremony that established their psychic link. There was no point in backing out now, even if the mission before him sounded like something out of a late-night science fiction movie. “When do I leave?”
4
Ash held tightly to the rusty railing of the old fishing boat as it bumped up against the
rocky shore, grateful the ride was over with. He’d dressed appropriately for the trip and the cold didn’t bother him, but the rough passage through wild waters had been more than nauseating.
“You’re sure this is the right place?” the captain asked, coming up behind him as the deckhands scurried about. The man had a thick accent, but he spoke English well. “There’s nothing here, not even one of the science stations.”
“That’s all right.” Ash had checked and rechecked the location, thanks to the stunning ability of the cell phone Hudson had given him. The lion shifter had assured him he’d never lose signal as long as he could see the sky, and so far, the promise had been a truthful one. “I know where I’m going.”
The captain shrugged and gestured toward the shore, where giant white-blue humps of snow and ice showed just beyond the rocks. “I know I said no return passage, but I don’t feel right about leaving you here. You explorers always think you can use your smarts to navigate the land, but one man on his own can’t survive in a place like this. I’ll take you back right now, no extra charge.”
But Ash shook his head. It’d been a long and arduous trip to get there. Antarctica wasn’t the sort of place that boasted commercial airports and a Starbucks on every corner. Even though there were cruise lines he could’ve taken, Ash preferred to take the route that required the least amount of attention and paperwork, a method that Drake had approved of. He wasn’t about to turn back now, and no matter how the mission went, he wouldn’t be looking forward to those rocky seas on the return trip. “That’s kind of you, but I’ll be fine. I promise.”
“Very well.” The captain threw his hands in the air as though he thought he was throwing Ash’s life away. “Oskar will take you in the dinghy.”
Ash pressed the envelope of cash into the captain’s hands, who accepted it gravely before he headed back to the bridge.
Oskar said nothing as he guided the dinghy to the shore, and he merely gave him a salute before he turned the tiny boat around and headed back for the rusty hulk that had brought them there in the first place.
Ash stood on the shore and watched the boat slip away, waiting until it’d nearly pulled out of sight before he turned and surveyed the new land. He’d been in blazing hot deserts, dripping wet jungles, and hard foreign cities, but never had he seen a place quite like this. Even Alaska, with as much of a reputation as it had for being wild and untamed, was a luxury vacation by comparison. There was nothing for miles and miles except snow and ice. A vicious wind whipped around him, seeking a weakness in his parka and other protective gear.
The chill and loneliness of the place reminded him of what he’d been planning to do with his life right now. The growing season had just started up near Fairbanks. If he had that farm, he’d be working with that couple who wanted to retire to the city, learning what kind of hay to grow for the cattle, how to keep them from escaping the fence, and which heifers to breed to which bulls. Once more he questioned joining the Force.
Cunningham, you’re just not ready to let go of your youth, he chided himself as he trudged along, the snow crunching under his boots. The terrain there was rough and rugged, not flat and pristine like what he’d seen on documentaries. You felt old when you retired, and you realized how much of your life had been given to the government. But now what are you doing? Giving it to some private group who might or might not be any better. Good job, soldier.
A sound caught his ear and stopped him from his inner grumbling. He instinctively ducked behind a large boulder, now grateful for the rugged topography he’d just been whining about. But he knew that sound was an engine, and that wasn’t good for a place where there weren’t supposed to be any people. Like the captain had said, he wasn’t even near any of the scientific camps.
Fortunately, Ash was in the perfect place to disguise himself. He morphed, still crouched behind the boulder. So what if polar bears weren’t native to Antarctica? He would at least blend in with the landscape, and whomever he was after probably wasn’t paying much attention to the wildlife.
On all fours with silent paws, Ash continued his journey. An LMTV bumped along in the distance down a smoother portion of the land. The camouflage paint on its sides was old and faded; no one had bothered to convert it to the snow camo that would’ve made more sense there. Its growling engine made it obvious, anyway. Whatever mission was being run there either wasn’t enough of a priority to get funding or they simply weren’t concerned about being noticed.
Ash used the lay of the land to his benefit, sticking to the snowy areas that would hide his presence the best as he followed the general direction of the LMTV. He stilled when he heard a plane in the distance, but it was too far away to spot him. He ambled around boulders and through valleys, wondering what the hell someone could want with this place.
Eventually, Ash stepped out onto what could only be a road. His paw slid too easily across it, and he took several steps back. Another LMTV—or possibly the same one he’d seen earlier—came barreling back from the other direction, its tires outfitted in sharp studs. Ash studied the vehicle carefully, but the canvas covered bed wasn’t giving away any secrets.
The road wound around low foothills until it reached the wide mouth of a cave. Busted rock, dirt, and bits of debris had been blown out all over the snow, indicating the cave hadn’t always been there. Warm wind blew forth from it and drips of water sprinkled down over the entrance. Ash narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the area. Several other vehicles had been parked in the snow nearby and he watched as one soldier shared a cigarette with another near the entrance. These men were outfitted in white and gray snow camo.
He didn’t like the look of this. His mind immediately flashed back to some of the quick deployments he’d been on in the Middle East. The first men to go in were always equipped properly with the right color of camo, wearing their DCUs to make the first foray into enemy territory. But there wasn’t always time to get the backup units updated to accommodate the new battleground, and he’d seen plenty of green camouflage vehicles in the middle of the desert where there was hardly any vegetation to blend in with.
Did something like that happen there, where a unit had gone in for the first strike and left everyone else to filter in afterwards once it was considered a safe zone? If that were the case, then there was a lot more going on there in this remote region than he ever would’ve imagined.
Ash desperately wanted to investigate, but they weren’t likely to let him through the front gate, no matter what form he was in. Keeping his bear configuration for the moment, he gave the Army encampment a wide berth as he explored the territory. The more he knew about the land, the better prepared he’d be, no matter what happened next. It seemed that all the soldiers were concentrated near that large cave opening. Ash knew from his experience with extremist groups that there was always a backdoor. No one ever left themselves just one exit, and there had to be another way in.
He paused and took a deep breath, tapping into the most primitive areas of his animal instincts. Ash rarely had a chance in his life to truly become the animal that lived beneath his skin. He’d shifted when he’d found himself alone in a remote area, when he had the chance to open up and just be wild for a moment. But there was so much more to his polar bear self than he’d ever allowed to come out and play. Ash rounded the makeshift military station, understanding the lay of the land in a way that only a beast could do.
There it was! He knew it the same way he knew which end was up. The ice there, about half a mile from the cave entrance, was much thinner than it was everywhere else. He could sense the hollowness underneath, like the sheet of ice had formed over a secondary tunnel. It was still thick enough to support his weight as his wide paws explored the area. Still pulling on that subconscious knowledge, Ash lifted his front end and brought it crashing back down on the ice. He pounded on it the way his wild cousins did, with a tenacity and determination that told him he had every right to get to whatever was on the other side.
He
was rewarded when the ice cracked and then split straight down the middle. But he’d put too much of his weight on it, and as the glazed chunks fell, so did he. Ash scrambled for his footing, his claws reaching for the snow around him. He was falling too fast. His weight dragged him down before he could do anything about it. When the whiteness of the snow darkened into earth as he fell further, he managed to decelerate just enough. He hit something hard as a shower of dirt covered him.
Ash’s body was in shock, and his brain wanted to be, too. But his training had taken over now, knowing he was in a dangerous situation. He scanned the area he’d fallen into, waiting for soldiers to fall in on him. But the small, underground cave was silent for the most part.
He could hear evidence of human activity further down the tunnel. None of it sounded urgent. He’d learned to understand the difference even when the enemy wasn’t speaking the same language. Somehow, no one had seen or heard his clumsy entrance.
Ash picked himself up and scanned the sloped tunnel he’d just come through. It was steep, but not so much so that it couldn’t be used to make his escape. He’d keep it in mind once he figured out just what the hell was happening down there.
He contemplated shifting back but decided to keep his furry white coat on for now as he ambled through the narrow tunnel. It widened as he moved through it, and the sound of voices drifted nearer. His heart thundered, but he tuned out the sound as he listened.
When he rounded a corner, Ash flinched. These underground hollows had likely been created by ancient volcanic activity or ice melt, but they certainly hadn’t been rigged with brilliant LED lighting the way they were now. The smaller chambers that shot off from the main structure in either direction had been partitioned off with crude metal bars drilled into the rock. One of those drills seemed to still be in use, by the sound of things.
