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“You came here for me?”
“Ember,” growled a new, impatient voice, one that was vaguely familiar. I gazed past her shoulder and saw a second figure, dark haired and dressed in black, scowl at me from the open door of the guard room. With a start, I realized it was the other dragon, the one Ember had fled with when she left Crescent Beach.
“No time for this, Firebrand,” he snapped, and tossed something to her, something that glittered as she caught it. “Come on. Those guards won’t stay down forever. Open the door and let’s get the hell out of here.”
I was still reeling from the fact that Ember was here, that two dragons had shown up in the middle of the night to save me, but the second dragon’s words jolted me out of my trance. As Ember shoved the key into the lock and wrenched the door open with a rusty creak, I suddenly realized what this meant, what was really happening.
“Garret,” Ember said as I paused, staring at the open door. “Come on, before someone sees us. What are you doing?”
At the edge of the hall, the other dragon gave a snort of disgust.
“I told you, Firebrand.” He gestured sharply in my direction. “You can open the monkey’s cage, but you can’t force it to leave. He’s not moving because we’re the enemy, and he’d rather stay and let them put a bullet through his skull than escape with a pair of dragons. Isn’t that right, St. George?” The figure turned to me, mouth curled in a sneer. “Never mind that they sold you down the river without a second thought. But you know, I don’t care one way or another about your loyalty hang-ups. You have three seconds to choose before I say the hell with it and leave you here. So what’s it gonna be? Come with us, or stay here and die?”
Escape. Leave St. George with two dragons. With the enemy. I’d been fully prepared to die a moment ago, but now freedom was staring me in the face. If I did this, if I stepped through that door, there was no turning back.
For just a moment, the Perfect Soldier recoiled at the idea of accepting the help of our greatest enemies, even now. But I knew the truth, and it cast an ominous shadow over my thoughts. There was something wrong within the Order, something I’d never seen before I met Ember. It was treason to speak against St. George doctrine, treason to consider that the Order could be mistaken. No one in St. George was willing to hear the other side of the story, that a dragon, a creature whose race they had hunted and killed for hundreds of years, could be more than just a monster. No one was willing to accept the idea that the Order of St. George had slaughtered those who did not deserve it.
Regardless, the Order was no longer home. I’d already been sentenced to die, at the hands of the very people who had raised me. I wouldn’t be any more of a traitor if I left this place in the company of two dragons who’d risked their lives to get me out. That made a pretty good argument, right there.
“I’m with you,” I said quietly, and stepped through the door. The other dragon was still watching me, gold eyes assessing, but my gaze sought Ember’s, and I saw relief spread across her face as I left the cell. I heard another disgusted snort from her companion, but I ignored it. I was a soldier of St. George no longer. I had no idea how Ember and her companion were going to get us out but, at least for now, I was free. If I was going to die today, I would go down fighting.
“Come on,” growled the second dragon, gesturing impatiently. “It’s almost dawn.”
We hurried from the cell block, passing through the guard station, where two soldiers lay in crumpled heaps on the floor, out cold. One of them had what looked like a broken nose and the other’s forehead was a mess of blood where, I suspected, he’d been bashed against the edge of the desk. I paused, kneeling down to grab the 9 mm from one of their side holsters, trying not to look at them as I checked the chamber for rounds. I might be with the enemy now, but they were still my former brothers, men I had trained with and fought beside. That couldn’t be forgotten in a single night, or even in a single act of betrayal. The male dragon glared at me as I rose with the gun, obviously not pleased with the idea that I was armed, but didn’t challenge me as we continued down the hall and up the stairs to the main floor.
The building was quiet as we exited the stairwell; it was still too early for most soldiers to be up and about, though I could see the sky had turned a disquieting navy blue, no longer the pitch-black of true night. Morning formations began at oh five hundred, which was less than an hour and a half away. The base would be stirring soon. Not to mention, we still had to get past security and the patrols around the perimeter fence. I didn’t know how Ember and the other dragon had managed to get this far without being seen, but I was less than optimistic that we could waltz out again without trouble. Everything was quiet. This seemed way too easy.
The other dragon—Riley, I remembered his name was—stopped us at the back door and spoke quietly into what I presumed was a wire. A moment later, he nodded and pushed open the door, confirming what I suspected; they had an outsider hacked into the security cams. He had to be good; Order security was tight. He also had to be fairly close to pick up the signal.
Outside, it was still dark. We skirted the light and stayed to the shadows, moving low and silent across the barren yard. Once, a patrol passed us, talking in low voices, and we flattened ourselves against a wall until they disappeared. The buildings provided some cover, though we had to be wary of windows and doorways where someone could spot us. But what worried me the most was the last stretch to the fence line; flat and open, with little to no cover. If we were spotted and they opened fire on us then, we’d be gunned down in seconds.
I imagined the uproar this would cause. If the Order realized two dragons had been able to walk in, free a prisoner, and walk merrily out again, there would probably be several weeks of chaos as chapterhouses around the globe scrambled to tighten security, double patrols and lock down networks. Training would intensify. I imagined heads would roll higher up the chain of command. Dragons making a mockery of the Order? Sneaking in right under their noses? A few months ago, the idea would’ve angered and horrified me; right now I was severely disinclined to care. St. George was done with me. I didn’t know where I would go from here; the Order had been my whole life. I didn’t know what else was out there. But one thing I was sure of: dawn would not find me standing in front of the firing wall, about to be executed for saving a dragon.
But we weren’t out of here yet.
Four hundred yards to the perimeter fence…and everything exploded.
As we huddled by a wall, ready to make that final dash over open ground toward the fence line, a siren blared, shattering the quiet. Ember jumped, and the other dragon cursed, pressing back into the wall as lights erupted all around us. Spotlights flashed to life, huge white circles gliding over the ground and scouring the sky. Doors opened, and soldiers began pouring from everywhere, looking confused but alert as they gathered in loose squads, gazing around warily.
“What’s going on?” Ember whispered.
“They know we’re here,” the other dragon spat. “Probably found the empty cell and the guards.” He swore again and peered around the corner, narrowing his eyes. “Wes, we’ve been discovered. Can you kill the lights?” A moment passed, and he shook his head. “Fine, then get out of here! Don’t worry about us—we’ll catch up at the rendezvous point.” He paused a moment, then snarled, “I don’t care, Wes, just go!”
Soldiers were everywhere now. I raised my gun, though I cringed at the thought of firing on my former brothers. “We’re not going to make it,” I told the other two quietly. And for a second, I felt a stab of regret that Ember had come. I’d wanted her to be free of St. George, to not live in fear of dragonslayers trying to kill her. Now, she would die here with me.
“It’s too far,” I told them as they glanced back. “There are too many between us and the fence line. We’ll never reach it without being seen. Ember…” I looked into her wide green eyes. She stared back without fear or regret, making my heart twist. “I’ll lead them away. They’ll be looking for me. You and Riley get out of here, any way you can.”
Her eyes flashed defiance. “Don’t you dare, Garret,” she almost snarled. “I didn’t come all this way to free you just to leave you behind again. That’s the most pointless thing I’ve ever heard.” She stepped away from the wall, and her eyes were glowing now, a luminous emerald green. “We’re getting out of here, all of us, right now!”
A searing white light swung around, pinning us in its glare. I winced and raised my arm to shield my face, just as the girl in front of me disappeared and a fiery crimson dragon reared up to take her place. Shouts rang out over the base, as the red dragon landed on all fours, dark wings outstretched, and roared a challenge that made the air shiver.
“Shit!” There was another ripple of energy as Ember’s companion shed his human form, becoming a sleek blue dragon with a fin down his neck and back. My pulse spiked as the two inhuman creatures turned on me, eyes glowing. Even now, instinct was telling me to run, that they were the enemy and I had to gun them down before they attacked and tore me to shreds.
Shots rang out behind me, sparking off the wall. Ember snarled, flinching back, and I spun, raising my weapon. A patrol of two was rushing at us, guns drawn and firing on the dragons pinned in the spotlight. They hadn’t seen me, or rather, their attention was riveted to the creatures behind me. I raised my gun, silently asking forgiveness, and fired at their legs. The soldiers cried out and pitched forward, crashing to the ground, but I could see more running toward us. The whole base was alerted now and knew dragons were inside the compound.
“Garret!”
A metallic red body lunged to my side, and I had to force myself not to leap away as a narrow, reptilian face peered at me. “Get on,” the dragon said, lowering her wings. “Hurry! We have to fly.”
Get on? Ride a dragon? For a split second, I balked. Talking with dragons was one thing. Accepting their help was another. But riding one? Especially if I knew the dragon was also a slender, green-eyed girl I had kissed on more than one occasion?
With a roar, the blue dragon reared up and blasted a cone of fire at a patrol that came around the corner, guns raised. The soldiers fell back with cries and screams, and Ember snarled, baring her fangs at me.
“Garret, come on!”
I shook myself and vaulted onto her back. Her spines poked at me as I wrapped my arms around her neck and settled between the leathery wings. I could feel heat radiating from the scales, the muscles shifting and coiling beneath me, and I repressed a shiver. This was not the Ember I knew. The girl had vanished, any hints of humanity disappearing as the dragon moved, savage, majestic and terrifying at the same time. She craned her neck to look back at me, long muzzle close enough to show rows of fangs, the scent of ash and smoke curling from her jaws.
“Hang on.”
More gunshots rang out, and the blue dragon snarled something in Draconic, the guttural, native language of dragons. Ember spun, making me tighten my grip, took three bounding leaps forward and launched herself into the air. Her wing muscles strained beneath me like steel cables pulsing beneath her skin, and we rose into the sky. The spotlight followed, keeping us brightly illuminated even as we left the base behind. Gunshots roared; I heard a howl of rage from the blue dragon, and gritted my teeth, hunched low over Ember’s back. She jolted suddenly, then her wings flapped furiously as we picked up speed, racing to get away from the spotlight and out of range of the compound. Very gradually, the spotlight disappeared, and the gunshots faded away, as we fled St. George and escaped into the desert.
* * *
We were out. We’d actually escaped St. George.
The wind whipped at my hair and clothes as I shifted on Ember’s back and cautiously sat up, gazing around in amazement. The desert stretched out before me, vast and endless, looking like an ocean of sand in the predawn light. Where it met the sky, a faint smear of pink was peeking over the horizon, though the land was still dark and shadowed. From this height, I could just make out the distant highway and the tiny glimmers of cars that followed it.
I drew in a quiet breath, wondering if all dragons felt this exhilaration. I’d gone surfing with Ember before, had felt that addictive rush of excitement and adrenaline while coursing down a huge wave.
It was nothing compared to this.
On impulse, I glanced behind me, at the compound I was leaving behind, and my blood chilled. Headlights speared the darkness from several vehicles, following us across the open desert. I counted three SUVs and at least one Jeep with a spotlight fixed to the roof, all straining to close the distance. There was no place to hide out here. If those vehicles got much closer they would start shooting, and we wouldn’t stand a chance.
“There’s the van!”
I looked at the blue dragon, then at the ground, where a large white van was speeding across the flat plain, trailing a billow of dust. Instantly, the blue dragon folded his wings and dropped from the sky, plunging toward the ground. I felt the subtle shift of muscles beneath me as Ember did the same, though a ragged shudder went through her as she glided after the blue. She was panting hard, sides heaving, and I hoped carrying me away from the base hadn’t put too much of a strain on her.
The blue dragon plunged low to skim the ground, then wheeled hard so that he passed in front of the van, in full view of the driver. Instantly, the van slammed on its brakes, coming to a skidding halt in a writhing cloud of dust. As the blue dragon landed, the front door opened and a human jumped out, wild haired and skinny, shouting something at the dragon as he hurried forward.
I realized with a start that Ember had dropped low to the ground and was gliding toward the van at top speed. Alarmed, I tensed, wondering when she would slow, but another shudder went through her, and she abruptly dropped from the air like a stone.
At the last second, she flapped her wings and pulled up enough to slow her momentum, before we crashed headfirst into the ground. I was thrown clear, striking the earth and rolling several yards, the world spinning around me, before I finally came to a halt several yards from where Ember had fallen.
Wincing, I staggered upright. My head throbbed, my arms were bloody and the world was still spinning, but nothing seemed broken. I ignored the stab of pain from a bruised or cracked rib and stumbled toward the dragon.
“Ember…”
My stomach twisted. She lay on her side a few yards away, heaving in great, shuddering gasps. One wing was crumpled beneath her, the other lay limp on the ground. Her legs moved feebly, clawing at the loose sand and rock, and her tail twitched a weak rhythm in the dirt. But in the time it took me to reach her, she slumped and went motionless. Her wing gave one final spasm and was still.
“Ember!”
A dark-haired, naked human raced up to her, dropping to his knees beside the scaly neck. “Ember,” Riley said again, putting a hand on her side. “Can you hear me? What happened? Are you—?”
He stopped, his face going pale. I limped up beside him just as he pulled his hand back, the palm and fingers covered in red, and my heart stood still.
“Oh, no.” His voice was a whisper, and he surged to his feet, glaring back at the van. “Wes!” he yelled. “Ember’s been shot. Help me get her in the van before St. George catches up.”
“Bloody hell.” The shaggy-haired human raced around the van, pausing to throw open the back doors. “I knew this was a bad idea, Riley. I knew the stubborn brat was going to get us all killed.”
“Shut up and help before I rip off your legs and leave you for St. George.”
“I’ll help,” I broke in, and he turned to glare daggers at me. Without waiting for an answer, I stepped around the unconscious dragon and knelt beside her, sliding my arm beneath a scaly foreleg. Ember stirred weakly, her claws raking the sand once, but she didn’t wake up. Riley hesitated, then crouched on the opposite side, taking her leg.
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