Soldier (Talon, #3)(60)
“That gets my vote,” Cobalt said, and began trotting toward the vehicles. “I’ll ride in the back, Firebrand,” he called over his shoulder. “You probably don’t want me in the front, in either form.”
I headed to the second truck and opened the driver’s door, taking a few seconds to brush glass off the seat before I sat down. For a moment, I wondered if the truck would even start. All the windows had been shattered, the seats blackened and charred from where Cobalt had blasted them with fire, and the hood was crumpled from having a dragon leaping atop it. The roof was completely shredded, claw marks and bullet holes raked through like it was made of aluminum foil instead of metal. There’d be no hiding what had happened here. Anyone with even the smallest knowledge of dragons would take one look at this truck and know it had been attacked by something huge that could breathe fire.
Or multiple somethings that could breathe fire.
Thankfully, despite the damage from talons and fire and sheer scaly weight, the truck started easily. I followed Garret carefully up the mountain road, trying not to see into the back of the vehicle in front of me. At the line of soldiers we had killed.
The monks had gathered outside when we pulled up with the trucks, along with Jade and a very stressed-out-looking Wes. The Eastern dragon had Shifted back to human form, though she wore jeans, a jacket and boots instead of robes, signaling her intent to leave. She strode forward as the trucks pulled to a stop, looking grim and determined as Garret dropped from the front seat to meet her.
“I’ve convinced the abbot they need to leave this place,” she told the soldier, who nodded. “St. George will be coming soon—better that a building suffer the Order’s wrath than the people who live there. They have an old van, and almost nothing to take with them, so they’re very nearly ready to go.” She paused, looking back at the cluster of orange robes, then turned back with a frown. “I am going with them.”
Garret didn’t look surprised. “Do you plan to come back?”
“Yes.” Jade nodded firmly. “When I’ve found them a new place to stay, when I’m sure they’re settled in and safe from any further attacks, I’ll contact you. But this is my responsibility. I won’t abandon them now, not when it’s our fault the Order is coming.”
An ancient van, more rust than metal, trundled around the side of the building and lurched to a coughing halt at the edge of the road. The monks began piling into it and, for a moment, I wondered what people passing them on the highway would think, when they glanced over and saw a van full of bald men in orange robes peering back at them. Garret watched them a moment, then turned back to Jade.
“Good luck,” he said. “And thanks. We’ll meet you again when you’re done.”
She bowed to him, very slightly. Though I got the impression that small, simple gesture was huge in Eastern dragon terms. Turning, she strode to the now-full van, sagging under the weight of a dozen monks crammed into the seats, opened the passenger door and swung inside. With a cough and a sickly rumble, the vehicle rolled away down the road, the faces of the monks peering back at us through the windows. I lifted a hand, and several of them waved to me, as well. Then the van cruised over a hill, around a bend in the road, and disappeared from sight.
Cobalt leaped gracefully out of the back and trotted up, scales gleaming in the sun, and Wes stalked forward to join us, as well.
“Well, that was bloody exciting,” Wes growled, as the four of us stood and stared down the road after the van. Two dragons, a hacker and a soldier of St. George, thrown together once more. “Now, can we please get the hell out of here, or were you blighters planning to stick around and invite the Order to tea?”
PART III
COVENANT
RILEY
“Well, there it is,” I said. “Ladies and gentlemen, the Vault.”
We’d made it to Chicago without further incident, fleeing the temple and the wrath of St. George that was sure to follow in its wake. For most of the ten-hour drive, we’d gone over the plan about a thousand times, poked holes in it, argued about it, played devil’s advocate and finally hammered out something that was only somewhat likely to spectacularly fail when we attempted to pull it off. We’d reached the city, rented a single room at a roach motel and caught a few hours of stressed, exhausted sleep before waking up that evening and going over the plan one more time. And then, here we were, on a street outside the library, getting ready to pull the biggest heist of my existence.
“Everyone ready for this?”
“Do we have a choice?” Wes muttered beside me. “It’s either risk certain death here if we’re caught, or risk certain death with the Order if we’re caught. Must be a Tuesday.” Ah, the eternal optimist.
Beside me, Ember scooted forward, peering at the squat, unadorned stone building across the street. Her hand brushed my shoulder as she leaned in, and my blood heated. “Doesn’t look like much,” she observed, green eyes scanning the sidewalk and corners surrounding it. “But I guess that’s what Talon is going for.”
“Yeah,” I rasped out. “So don’t let it fool you. This isn’t going to be easy.”
“There’re only a few minutes until the next shift change,” St. George remarked from the back. “We need to move fast.”