Inferno (Talon #5)(44)
“Just want to be sure that there is an actual plan in place,” she countered as we continued down a short hall and rounded a corner. A dimly lit hall stretched away before us, with numbered doors lining the walls like apartments. “And this whole daring rescue in the middle of one of Talon’s biggest operations isn’t relying solely on luck and your gut intuition.”
“I have a plan—”
The soft click of a door interrupted us. Instantly, we melted back around the corner, pressing our backs to the wall, as one of the doors opened and something shuffled into the hallway.
Peeking around the corner, I set my jaw. It was a dragon, all right. A hatchling, probably in her late teens, her dark hair cropped short. She wore an oversize T-shirt that hung to her knees, and from where I stood, I could see the glint of a metal anklet above her left foot. Most likely a tracking device. My blood boiled at the thought of these dragons being held prisoner, living their whole lives on this island, simply because they didn’t meet Talon’s expectations. Worse, being forced to produce offspring so that Talon and the Elder Wyrm could expand their reach and become even more powerful, all under the pretense of “saving our race from extinction.”
I clenched a fist. No more. That ended tonight. I might not be dealing a crushing blow to the organization anymore; now that they had their monstrous vessel army, they could simply clone mindless slaves, instead of brainwashing them from the beginning. But the dragons here, at least, would not spend another day in Talon’s crushing grip. We didn’t know what was coming; hell, maybe we would all die soon. But, for me, anyway, better to die free than live as a slave. I hoped these dragons felt the same.
The girl stepped forward, bare feet making almost no sound on the carpet. I waited until she was almost to the corner before I lunged out, clamping a hand around her mouth and pushing her back into the wall.
She stiffened, eyes going wide, as I put a finger to my lips. “I’m not here to hurt you,” I whispered, hoping the kid wouldn’t freak out. I suspected the non-pregnant breeders were regularly dosed with Dractylpromazine to prevent Shifting, but I didn’t want to deal with a hysterical teenager, either. “My name is Cobalt, and I’ve come to get you out.”
If possible, the girl’s eyes got even bigger. I took that as a good sign and hurried on. “We’re leaving,” I told her. “All of us. I have a boat waiting outside that will take you and everyone else off this island. You’ll never have to work for Talon again. I’m getting all of you out tonight, but we have to be quick and quiet about it. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
The girl nodded against my hand.
“And if I let you go, you won’t scream and alert every guard in the place?”
She shook her head.
Okay. Holding my breath, I released her.
“Omigod,” the girl blurted as soon as she was free. “You’re Cobalt!”
I winced. “You wanna scream my name a little louder? I don’t think the guards outside heard you.”
“Oh, sorry,” the hatchling said, pitching her voice to a much softer level. “It’s just…you’re really here.” Her eyes watered, years of hope and disappointment welling to the surface. “They tell stories about you,” she went on. “Some of the older dragons. They say there’s a dragon on the outside who can get you out of Talon, if you’re lucky enough to meet him.” The sheen in her eyes grew brighter, and her lip trembled. “Director Vance told us that you don’t exist, that no one has ever discovered the location of the facilities and that we’re here for our own safety. But some of us still held out hope. That you were really out there, and that maybe this was the year you’d find us.”
A tear slid down her face, making the guilt churning inside about a million times stronger. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I came as soon as I could.”
“Cobalt.” Mist appeared beside me, looking stern. “There is no time for this. We need to wake the rest of the breeders and let them know what is going on, without alarming them and alerting the guards.”
“I know.” I turned back to the hatchling. “Where is everyone else?” I asked urgently. “Are they here, in this building?”
“Most of them.” The girl glanced at Mist, saw she was a dragon and relaxed. “The pregnant ones are next door, in the medical facilities.”
“How many?”
“Five, I think.”
“Shit.” I raked my hands through my hair. Five pregnant dragons that couldn’t Shift to human form would make sneaking out of here even more difficult. We had prepared for this scenario, so it wasn’t unexpected, but having a confirmed number made the stakes more real.
I looked back at the hatchling. “What’s your name?”
“Sera.”
“All right, Sera, can you wake the rest of the dragons here and let them know what’s going on? Get them up and ready to move out when I give the word?”
The girl paled, but nodded. “I think so.”
“Good enough. Mist.” I looked at the other Basilisk. “Stay with her and help. You know the plan. Don’t forget to warn them about the soldiers. We don’t want anyone freaking out before it’s time.”
Mist nodded. “I assume you’re going after the pregnant breeders.”