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“Where do you think we’re going?” I mused out loud, watching the desert speed by beyond the glass.
Ember shrugged. “Who cares? We’re out of school and not stuck in testing for six hours. They could be taking us to the gas station and I wouldn’t complain.” She thought about it, then shrugged again. “Maybe they’re taking us to see the movie early, because we did so well?”
I grimaced. “I highly doubt that.”
Abruptly, the car made a sharp left, cruising off the narrow private road and bouncing into the desert. Startled and now even more wary, I watched the road disappear as we went deeper into the middle of nowhere.
Just as I was about to run some crazy theories by Ember, the car slowed and came to a rolling stop in a billow of dust. With a faint buzz, the glass separator rolled down a few inches, just enough for us to see the top of the driver’s head over the rim.
“Get out. Both of you.”
I looked out the window. There was nothing beyond the glass. No gas stations, roads, signs or cars. Nothing but desert, stretching to the horizon in every direction.
“Here?” Ember asked, echoing my confusion. “Why?”
Questions regarding orders were generally discouraged or went unanswered, so I was surprised when the driver answered. “Part of your testing,” he replied brusquely. “The first to make it back passes. The other fails.”
My stomach dropped, and I stared at the driver, wondering if he was serious. “What happens if we come back together?”
“Then you both fail.” He made a gesture with two fingers, indicating that we leave the car. “Go.”
Stunned, we slid out. As soon as the doors closed, the vehicle tore off in a cloud of dust, cruised over a sand rise and disappeared. Leaving us alone in the middle of the Mohave Desert.
Ember looked at me with defiant green eyes. “The hell? What kind of stupid test is this? The first one back passes and the other fails? Like they expect us to race each other across the desert on foot? With no phones or water or even a compass?” Glaring around, she shook her head and made a hopeless, frustrated gesture. “This is crazy. Do you even know which direction the school is?”
“Yes,” I said quietly, and she blinked in surprise. “Judging from the time, and the position of the sun...” I squinted at the sky, then nodded and turned away, confident in my assessment. “The school should be...that way.”
Ember sighed, crossing her arms. “Well, I’m not going to go charging off without you,” she announced. “That’s insane. They can suck it if they want me to pass this stupid test. We cross the finish line together, and they can just deal with two failures, right?”
For just a moment, I paused. It was likely that what Talon was really testing for was loyalty to the organization. I realized that. But if I did what Ember suggested, it would be my first real failure. I’d always passed my exams with flying colors. If I screwed up now, it would stain my perfect record.
“I don’t know...” I began, but Ember tapped my arm.
“Wait a second.” There was a look on her face now, the one that always worried me. The one that said she was just coming to a realization that would probably get us in trouble. “If you know where the school is, does that mean you know where the town is, too?”
I frowned. “Yes,” I said slowly, gazing around. “I...think so.” The nearest town was a tiny, dusty settlement with a handful of gas stations, restaurants and one very old movie theater that we’d never been to. It was thirty minutes away by car, and by my estimation, we were probably closer to the town than the school right now. “Why?”
Ember’s eyes gleamed, a faint, defiant grin crossing her face. “Here’s an idea,” she said fiercely. “Screw their stupid test. Let’s go to town instead.”
I stared at her. “Skip the test? Are you crazy?”
“Why not?” Ember gestured at the terrain around us. “They dumped us here, in the middle of freaking nowhere—why shouldn’t we have a little fun for once? Let’s go to town and watch that movie. We can say we got horribly lost and wandered around for hours and hours. How are they gonna say otherwise?” When I still hesitated, she rolled her eyes. “Come on, Dante, we’re going to fail the test anyway, you know that, right? What’ve we got to lose? Unless you really want to race me across the desert.”
I took a breath. It was tempting. I was tired, and not just physically. I was tired of tests, tired of studying, of staying up all night only to face another grueling day of exams. And, truth be told, I was angry at Talon for giving us this impossible test, requiring the one thing I refused to do: abandon my twin.
I looked at Ember and nodded. “Yeah,” I said, ignoring the brief stab of fear to the gut. “Let’s do it.”
* * *
It took us all afternoon to reach town, even knowing which direction we were going. The desert stretched on, eternal in its sameness. Even for two dragons who normally thrived in the heat, hours of trudging through the desert in over a hundred degree temperatures began to wear on us. By the time we saw the first of the roofs across the desert, we were hot, sweaty, thirsty and desperate to get out of the sun.
“Made it,” Ember breathed, sounding triumphant. She grinned at me, eager and relieved at the same time. Her skin was slightly pink from the sun, and my own felt uncomfortably tight, making me wonder if it was possible for dragons to get sunburned. “Come on,” she said, gesturing toward a distant gas station on the edge of the road. “I’m spitting sand here. Drinks first, then let’s go find the theater.”
My stomach danced as we approached the border of town, either in excitement, fear or a little of both. This was supremely forbidden. Cutting class, wandering into town alone, deliberately disobeying our instructors? I’d never done anything this risky before. I didn’t know if I liked this feeling of nervous exhilaration and utter terror, but we couldn’t turn back now.
However, as we crossed the road and headed toward the gas station, I spotted a disturbingly familiar black sedan sitting at the edge of the parking lot, and my insides gave a violent twist.
Get ahold of yourself, Dante. Not every black car is from Talon. There’s no way they could know where you went—
The back door opened, and Mr. Gordon stepped out of the car, followed by two Talon agents in suits.
Ember froze. I went rigid, my mind going blank as our teacher came toward us across the lot, leaving the agents by the car. They had found us. How had they found us? Had the car turned around somehow, to make sure we were heading in the right direction? Had the driver been hiding somewhere with binoculars, watching our every move?
“Ember.” Mr. Gordon’s tone was impassive. He didn’t sound angry, or surprised, to find us here. “Dante. Come along, it’s time to go home.”
Numbly, we followed him to the car. There was nothing more we could do.
The ride back was silent. I stared out the window, trying to control the sick feeling in my stomach. What would they do to us? Would this permanently stain my record with Talon? Would they decide to separate me and Ember?
I should have been afraid, and I was. I knew Talon’s punishment would probably be terrible. But at the same time, the more I thought about it, the angrier I became. They were obviously watching us somehow, waiting for us to screw up. Setting us up for failure.
It wasn’t fair. I thought back to all the times I had excelled, followed instructions and orders without hesitation, and my blood boiled. Hadn’t I proved myself by now? Hadn’t I been the model student, never questioning instructions, never complaining? Why this one pointless test that we couldn’t win?
When we got back, we followed Mr. Gordon silently into one of the classrooms, where our other two trainers were waiting with displeased expressions.
“So.” Mr. Gordon turned to face us as the rest of the teachers came forward. His expression was stern, disapproving. “Decided to have a little fun, did you? In the middle of your exams, no less. Would either of you care to explain what you were thinking today? And please,” he added, looking at me. “Do not attempt to tell me you ‘got lost.’ I know that you at least, Dante, know enough to tell which direction is north. So.” He raised his eyebrows. “What were you doing in town today? Why did you ignore the test?”
“Because it was stupid,” Ember growled under her breath. Mr. Gordon’s eyes narrowed, and I jumped in before she made things any worse.
“I didn’t understand the point of the test, sir,” I said, though my own voice came out hard. “I wasn’t going to leave my sister alone, in the middle of the desert. I might’ve known the way back, but what if Ember really did get lost? She could wander around out there for days and get hurt or dehydrated.”
“That was unlikely,” Mr. Gordon replied. “We were watching you both via satellite. Neither of you was in any real danger. Besides, your assessment of the exam was incorrect. We were not testing to see who could make it back first—we were testing to see if either of you would Shift into your real forms in order to make it back faster. But, as you circumvented the exam entirely, that point is moot.”
Satellites. So that was how they knew. My heart sank even more. We’d never had a chance to escape. They’d known what we were doing from the very beginning.
Mr. Gordon gave me a piercing stare, seeming to read my thoughts. “Do let me make this perfectly clear, Mr. Hill,” he said firmly. “We are always watching you. We are always testing you. Nothing you do goes unnoticed. Remember that, always.”
“You were tracking us?” Ember was completely pissed now, and I winced. When she was this angry, there was no telling what she would say. “Well, here’s a thought—maybe that’s why we had to get out of here. Everything is work, exams and these stupid mind games. We can’t ever catch a break. Maybe if you would let up a little, we wouldn’t be so desperate to leave!”
Mr. Gordon looked at me, his eyes cold. “And you, Dante? Do you feel the same?”
“I...” I hesitated, feeling all eyes on me, both human and dragon. Ember was staring at me angrily, wanting but not really expecting me to back her up. The teachers were all watching us, silently judging. Always judging. No matter what I did, how perfect I was or how much I excelled. I could never please them. And suddenly, I was angry, too.
“Yes, sir.” I glared at Mr. Gordon. “From the time I got here, I’ve done everything you wanted. I never Shift, never ask questions, never do anything I’m not supposed to. Until now, I’ve aced every test you’ve given me, and yet I’m still being tracked? When have I given you reason not to trust me? All I’ve ever done for the past three years is excel.”
The human regarded us in heavy silence for a moment, then sighed.
“Yes,” he said, surprising us both. “I know we ask a lot of you. I know it seems unfair at times. But you must understand, it is for your own protection, as well as your future. We push you because it is imperative that you succeed. Because you have a destiny with Talon, and it is up to us to make certain you get there.” He clasped his hands, seeming to speak more to me now, instead of my angry sibling. “You are not mere humans. You are dragons, and your future is far greater than anything a human could hope for. I know it is difficult now, but if you work hard and do exactly what Talon wants, someday you will be the ones on the other side.”
The ones on the other side.
Something clicked in my head and, suddenly, everything became clear. I was a dragon, and Talon was one of the most powerful organizations in the world. If I was in Talon, I would be the one in charge. I’d be the one calling the shots. I wouldn’t have to take pointless exams, listen to humans or worry that my every move was being watched. In Talon, dragons were the bosses, the presidents, the CEOs. If I was part of the organization, no one would tell me what to do ever again.
Mr. Gordon noticed my reaction and smiled. “Yes, Dante.” He nodded. “Now you understand. Within the organization, you can become whatever you wish. But to get there, you must strive to become what Talon wants, even if it means putting your own desires aside for now. Remember your motto—Ut ominous sergimous. ‘As one, we rise.’ You are not merely a hatchling, you are part of something far greater than yourself. Sometimes, sacrifice is necessary.”
Sacrifice is necessary.
Ember snorted, still angry and clearly unimpressed with everything. “Whatever,” she muttered, crossing her arms. “I just know I’m never going to see that movie now, am I?”
Mr. Gordon was still watching me, his dark gaze assessing. His lips curled in a smug smile. “Ms. Brunner,” he said, still holding my gaze. “Please call the theater and arrange a private screening for tomorrow afternoon. Tell them we will need to reserve an entire theater room for a few hours. Tell them that price is not an issue.”
Ember jerked, eyes widening, and my mouth dropped open. Mr. Gordon smiled. “I think you’ve earned a bit of a break,” our teacher said, finally glancing at Ember, who appeared stunned into speechlessness. “You are correct. It can’t be training and exams every hour of every day. If you pass the final stages of your exams tomorrow, we’ll all go into town to celebrate. Is that motivation enough for you, Ms. Hill?”
Ember stammered an affirmative, and Mr. Gordon nodded. But his gaze met mine over her head, and in that dark glare, I could see the echo of his thoughts. This is what power is, Dante, it said. This is what you could have, if you do exactly what Talon wants. At the top, no one will tell you what to do, ever again.
At the top, you could be free.
Ember tried talking to me after we were dismissed, but I barely heard anything she said as we walked across the dusty yard to our rooms. My mind was spinning, and I suddenly didn’t care about the movie, or our ill-fated adventure, or anything but the upcoming test. I knew what I had to do now. I had a clear path, and I would not stray from it until I reached the end, at the very top. Even though the journey would be hard, and I would have to let some things go. It might be painful, but in the end, it would be worth it.
Sacrifice was necessary, but I would be free.
RILEY (#u93f2f856-b5bc-5bc2-9418-fa26f692d2e7)
“Riley,” said a voice out of the darkness.
I turned, shooting a bleary glance at the clock on the wall as the soldier appeared in the door frame of the cabin’s tiny kitchen—4:50 a.m. Apparently, I wasn’t the only early riser of the group. That, or St. George hadn’t gotten much sleep, either. Yesterday had been an exhausting, mind-numbingly long day of travel, the five of us—me, Ember, Wes, St. George and the Eastern dragon—stuffed into an old black Jeep that was not designed with comfort in mind. We’d taken shifts, both in driving and getting to sit in the front passenger seat, while the rest of us huddled in the back. A couple hours from our final destination, we’d pulled into one of the many small campgrounds scattered at the base of the Ozarks and had rented a cabin for the night. It had been a relief not to have to share space in a tiny hotel room, though my mind wouldn’t shut off long enough to let me sleep. Finally accepting that sleep was not an option, I’d risen and headed into the kitchen for the strongest black coffee I could make, when the soldier appeared in the doorway, wide awake, as well.
I ignored him, reaching for the coffeemaker. Well, what do you know, someone—probably St. George—had already made a pot. I poured myself a mug and took a swallow. Black and strong enough to strip paint from the wall—perfect. “What?” I mumbled.
A pause, then he took a quiet breath. “I never got the chance to thank you.”
Surprised, I turned away and opened the cupboard that held the meager supplies we’d brought. “Let’s not make this awkward, St. George,” I muttered, pawing through cans of soup and ravioli, jerky packages and bags of candy, anything that could be heated up quickly or eaten on the road. Ugh, maybe I would just grab something later from a drive-through. I didn’t see how Ember could eat Skittles for breakfast every day. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“You saved my life,” the soldier insisted. “You didn’t have to. There was nothing anyone could have done, not with how far away we were from the city. You could’ve let me die.”
“How much of an asshole do you think I am?” I growled, shutting the cupboard door to glare at him. “I didn’t do it because I like you. I did it because it was the right thing to do. Because you’re a decent shot, and you’ll back us up when we need it. Because you know about the Order, how it works, what goes on in their screwed-up heads, and it’s easier to stay alive when we have insider information. I did it for any number of reasons, St. George, and all of them outweighed the desire to watch you bleed out in the dirt.” I narrowed my eyes, taking a sip of bitter coffee to swallow the anger. “So don’t make me regret that choice with stupid questions about why I decided to save your sorry ass. Hard as it is to believe, I don’t let any of my team die if I can help it. And I’d be a piss-poor leader if I let personal feelings get in the way of anything. You don’t know me as well as you might think.”
For some reason, that made him close his eyes in a grimace. “Ember told me the same thing once,” he said. “She was right. I didn’t know anything about your kind back then. Everything the Order taught me was wrong.” He drummed his fingers against his arm and glanced down the hall, where Ember, Wes and Jade still slept in quaint, woodsy rooms. “I want to know more,” he said quietly. “I’m trying to understand. Even with Ember, I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface.”
“If only you had a dragon around to explain these things to you.”
He smiled, though his expression remained shadowed and distant. “I don’t want to fight you, Riley,” he said after a moment, and we both knew what he was referring to. “You’re not my enemy. I don’t want to feel like I have to watch my back with any of my teammates. I love Ember.” He said it simply, like he was telling me the weather. “And I know there’s something between you and her, something...Draconic, I guess, that I might not ever understand. It’s not my place to ask—she’ll tell me when she’s ready. But I’m here to stay. I’m not going anywhere.”
I swallowed the growl and pushed Cobalt down from where he was rising up, bristling and indignant. “And you’re telling me this why?”
“It needed to be said.” He stared down the hall again. “We’ve been dancing around this for too long. I’m done hiding. I’d rather have everything out in the open. You saved my life,” he continued, obnoxiously sincere and calm. “I thought I’d give you the courtesy of knowing where I stood.”
Anger boiled, but I forced a smirk and pushed past him, into the living room. “Near-death experience making you sentimental, St. George?”
“Maybe.” His voice remained the same. “But it doesn’t change anything.”
“What are you two talking about?”
Ember walked out of the hall, yawning as she came into the kitchen. Her crimson hair stuck out at every angle, and Cobalt stirred at the sight of her. With a brief smile at St. George, she walked to the coffeepot, poured the contents into a mug and padded back to join us in the living room.
“Did we wake you?” the soldier asked, ignoring, I noticed, the previous question. Ember shook her head and brought the mug to her lips.
“Couldn’t sleep. Heard the two of you out here and thought I might as well get up, go over the plan or something. Ugh, that’s awful.” She pulled the mug away from her lips, screwing up her face, then took another sip. “I assume it hasn’t changed, right? We’re still keeping to the same plan?”
I sighed. “Yeah.” I nodded, taking a bracing swallow myself. “Same plan. As soon as the others are up, we’ll head out. We need a few things before we can pull this off.”
* * *
“All right,” I said, pulling to a stop on the narrow, winding road that cut through the mountain. Up ahead, a yellow barricade blocked both lanes, and a single police car sat beside it, lights flashing blue. “There’s the security checkpoint.” I glanced at Ember and St. George in the backseat, seeing a pair of strangers staring back. Like me, both wore black suits—or monkey suits as Wes so elegantly put it—and dark shades, the “few things” we had to pick up for this plan to work. I resented the fact that Wes didn’t have to dress up for this stupid mission; he got to stay at the cabin. I hated G-man suits; the tie around my neck felt like a noose, and the jacket was tight in all the wrong places. St. George, obnoxiously, seemed perfectly at ease in a suit and tie, probably used to being in uniform, but I wanted this over and done with as soon as possible.
“Remember,” I told them and the Asian dragon sitting in the passenger seat, “I’ll do the talking, but if anyone asks, we’re with the Department of Homeland Security. You two are assistants in training, so any questions should be directed to me or Ms. Long here.”
“And what are you going to tell them?” Ember wanted to know. “You don’t know any more about this Security Department than we do.”
“Department of Homeland Security, Firebrand,” I corrected. “And I might not be a Chameleon, but I am a master at bullshitting. Generally, I don’t need to know what I’m talking about. I just have to bluster and act like the person I’m talking to is wasting my time—basically be a giant dick—and most humans will cave. If you act like you’re supposed to be there, people will generally assume the same. What about you?” I asked the woman beside me. “Think you can BS your way past a guard?”
The Eastern dragon’s voice was dry. “I’m sure I can come up with something.”
“All right, then.” I faced forward and put the car into Drive. “Let’s do this.”
We cruised up to the barricade, stopping as the door to the police car opened and an overweight human stepped out. I rolled down the window, watching him with as much bored disdain as I could muster as the officer strolled up to the side of our car.
“Sorry, folks,” the human said, peering in at us. “The road is closed for now. You’ll have to take the detour around.”
I flashed the fake badge Wes had given me that morning. “We’re expected,” I said in a bored, I-can’t-believe-I-have-to-deal-with-this tone of voice.
“The DHS?” The officer pulled back, shaking his head. “Damn. I didn’t realize a plane crash was such a big deal.” He gave me a furtive look, lowering his voice as if there were people around to hear him. “So, what’s really going on down there? You government types have been in and out for days. What, was this some kind of terrorist attack or something?”
“Sorry, but I’m not at liberty to say,” I replied stiffly, dropping my arm, and the badge, from view. “And you should know better than to ask. You’re lucky I don’t have time to report you to your superior.”
“Hey, don’t get all high and mighty on me, suit.” The officer stepped back with a sour look on his face. “You government hotshots think you can come through and order us around, but you’re wrong. This ain’t your town.” But he stepped back, waving us through the barricade. “Go on. The sooner you’re finished here, the sooner you can leave.”
Triumphant, I rolled up the window and continued down the road, watching the flashing lights get smaller in the rearview mirror until we turned a bend and they were lost from sight.
“That was easy,” Ember muttered.
I smirked. “Like I said, Firebrand. Master of BS, right here. Still, we shouldn’t press our luck. Try not to talk to anyone while we’re snooping around. And if you happen to see the Chameleon, let me know so we can clear out right away. The humans might not suspect anything, but she’ll definitely know something’s up if she sees three other dragons wandering around.”
As we turned a corner, the “town” came into view, a cluster of run-down houses and trailer homes huddled between the mountains on either side of the road. This is it? I thought. Town might be too strong of a word. Why the hell was Talon even here? What did they want? I pulled off the road, parking the car in the first driveway I came to, well away from the center of town and the scattering of people wandering the street. A lot of government types, I noticed. Men and women in black suits, along with a few in uniform. Something was definitely going on.
“Everyone stay together,” I warned as we exited the vehicle. “Remember, we’re the Department of Homeland Security, you two are our assistants and we’re here to assess the situation.”
“No civilians,” St. George muttered, gazing down the street. “Everyone here is an official or agent of some kind. The town is empty.”
