Inferno (Talon #5)(40)
“All right, people.” Martin’s voice cut through the stunned silence. “Get it together. You’ve all seen dragons before, so wipe those vacant looks off your faces. Remember, this is recon and rescue, not assault. Be on your guard, and don’t shoot anything unless I give the order. I don’t care what it is—unless I tell you to kill it, I’d better not hear you thinking about pulling the trigger. Let’s move.”
The soldiers snapped into mission mode. Dragons or no dragons, this at least was familiar to them. Flipping our tac lights on, white beams cutting faintly through the grasping shadows, we crept silently up the beach and pushed our way into the jungle.
It closed around us, thick and menacing. The branches blocked out the sky and what little light there was, so the shadows beneath were nearly impenetrable. It was also ominously silent, much like the jungle in Brazil had been when we’d approached Ouroboros’s domain. Except for our own footsteps and the rustle of vegetation as we pushed through, this jungle seemed eerily empty of life.
About ten minutes into the trek, we discovered why. The trees opened into a large clearing. A wide strip of open ground, probably fifty yards across, stretched away to either side, seeming to form a ring around the inner island.
Crouching at the edge of the trees, I scanned the clearing warily, searching for patrols and hidden sentries. But the open space was empty and still, no guards, towers or anything as far as I could see. So why an open area smack-dab in the middle of the island? Something wasn’t right; I smelled a trap, even though I couldn’t see one.
“Thoughts?” I muttered to Martin, crouched a few feet away. The lieutenant shook his head.
“I don’t like it. But I don’t see anything, either.”
Mist glided out of the trees, silent as a damned ghost, appearing next to me without a sound. “There are no patrols or guards on either side of the perimeter,” she announced. “It’s clear.”
“How certain are you of that, dragon?” Martin asked.
Mist frowned. “Very,” the Basilisk answered. “Unlike you, Lieutenant, I can see in the dark. I can also smell a human from a great distance if the wind is blowing right. There are no signs that anyone has been in the vicinity for a very long while. There are no tracks, no patrol paths, no disturbed vegetation. No movement. I know how to do my job, human.”
“Easy, dragon,” Martin said quietly. “Not questioning your abilities, but this seems suspicious because it’s so out of place. And I don’t like being out in the open.”
“Well, we certainly can’t sit here all night,” I said, and rose to my feet. “Mist, keep scouting ahead. The rest of us will follow.”
With Mist leading the way, we started across the open field. And for the first minute or two, everything was normal. I was beginning to think we’d actually reach the compound without too much trouble, but of course Talon never made things that easy.
“Oh, no,” I heard the Basilisk whisper from up ahead, before whirling around. “Stop!” she hissed. “Everyone, freeze!”
We froze. A couple of the soldiers raised their guns, glancing around as if expecting an attack, though the night remained silent and still. “Mist,” I said in a low voice, feeling my heartbeat roar in my ears. “What’s happening?”
“I just figured out the reason this place isn’t guarded,” Mist said. She stood like a statue in the long grass, wings half-spread, tail held stiffly over the ground. “It doesn’t have to be. Look down, Cobalt, about twelve inches from your right foot. Carefully.”
I followed her instructions, and my stomach gave a violent lurch as I saw a glint of metal in the weeds. “Shit,” I breathed. “This is a fucking minefield.”
The soldiers, who were beginning to relax, went rigid again. Martin took a quiet breath and looked at Mist, frozen in the same spot. “Can you lead us through it, dragon?” he asked in a low voice.
“I think so.” Mist looked around, narrowing her eyes. “If we move very slowly, I can tell where the mines have been buried. For the most part. Step exactly where I step, and we should be fine.”
“Single file,” Martin told the soldiers beside us, and they moved, very carefully, into position. “No one goes forward unless the dragon tells us to.”
I pressed close behind Mist, and we inched our way across the field. It was an agonizingly slow crawl, with Mist staring hard at the ground in front of her, sometimes standing motionless for long periods of time while she debated whether or not to go forward. Every time I moved or put my foot down, I held my breath, hoping I wouldn’t step on a hidden mine and trigger an explosion.
Finally, after several tense, heart-pounding minutes, we reached the other side of the clearing. As we stepped into the tree line, I collapsed against a trunk in relief, as a couple soldiers did the same.
“Well,” I muttered as Martin sank to a knee, gazing back over the field, “that probably shaved a good fifty years off my life. I vote we not do that again.”
“Agreed,” Martin said dryly. “Though I think this isn’t as much about defense as it is about keeping the captives on the island.”
“Yeah, I imagine so,” I said. “More to discourage the breeders from trying to run away than to keep anyone out.” I gazed back over the seemingly innocuous clearing and shivered. “I sure as hell wouldn’t want to risk it, especially in human form.”