Inferno (Talon #5)(84)
With twin howls, the remaining Adult vessels launched themselves into the fight, unfurling huge leathery wings and taking to the air. Hatchlings and dragonells fled as the two behemoths began their pursuit, snapping and clawing at any dragon that came within reach. Thankfully, the hatchlings were small and quick, and the vessels’ enormous bulk weighed them down. But there was no way any of my dragons were going to bring down those monsters.
With a roar and a streak of green, Jade flew toward one of the vessels like an arrow, smashing into the huge body with a crunch that sounded like a pair of semis colliding. The Adult vessel screamed and tumbled down in a flurry of wings and tails, taking the Eastern dragon with it. The rumble as they struck the earth vibrated the ground and made my teeth chatter.
Okay, St. George, I thought, and leaped into the air once more, praying that my hatchlings would be smart enough to get the hell out of the way. If I couldn’t take those monsters down, at least I would be a distraction for the rest of them. If you ever needed a reason to use that damned rifle, here it is. You won’t ever hear me say this again, but shoot those things already!
But seconds ticked by, measured by the screams of dying dragons and the roars of those still living, and the shots never came.
EMBER
I watched the horror unfold on-screen, watched one Adult vessel pull a red Eastern dragon out of the air and tear it apart with brutal efficiency, while the other two set upon Riley’s dwindling forces. We had failed. They were all going to die, but worse than that, their sacrifice would be in vain, because we were unable to uphold our end of the bargain.
“Your friends are lost,” the Elder Wyrm stated, watching me from the top of the steps. “The alliance between dragons and St. George is finished. Everything you have done up until this point has been for nothing. We will rise, and humans will fall before us, as it should have been from the beginning.”
“No,” I whispered. “Please stop this. There’s been so much death and suffering already. We can end the war. It doesn’t have to be this way.”
“You have lost,” the Elder Wyrm repeated, her voice a terrible drone in my head. Dante walked up the steps to stand behind her and did not look at me. “And now, I will take back what is mine, what I had created specifically for me. Vessel 176, bring me my daughter.”
One of the vessels stepped forward and grabbed my arm. Instantly, Garret turned, bringing both cuffed hands up, and smashed them into its nose, sending it reeling back. In that split second of shock, I made my decision.
I leaped through the ring of vessels, Shifting forms in midair. The cuffs burst open as I landed at the base of the steps in dragon form. We were all going to die, Talon had won this round, but at least I could take the Elder Wyrm down with me. Gathering myself, I tensed my muscles and sprang for the woman at the top of the steps, aiming for her slender white neck. Garret, Riley, I’m sorry. But maybe this will be enough to change things. See you on the other side.
“I think not,” the Elder Wyrm said quietly.
She took one step back as I came in, sweeping her arm up, blindingly fast. I barely had a chance to register that she’d moved before she backhanded me in the temple, right below my horns, and my head felt like it imploded. My vision fractured into shards of pain, and I was hurled away, hitting the floor with a jolt and rolling to a painful stop.
My head throbbed, feeling like it would split open at the slightest movement, and spots of darkness floated before my eyes. Dazed, I looked up to see the Elder Wyrm walking toward me, a faint smile on her lips. Behind her, the vessels had forced everyone to their knees, the muzzles of their rifles shoved into the base of their skulls.
“Foolish hatchling.” The Elder Wyrm loomed over me, ancient and unamused. Her eyes glowed green, and her presence pushed down on me like a boulder, crushing the air from my lungs. I couldn’t move as the oldest dragon in the world turned the full power of her gaze on me. “Did you think I would be weak as a human? That this pitiful body would be easy to destroy?” She raised an elegant, manicured hand, the nails as red as blood. “I have but a fraction of my true strength in this form, but that is still enough to crush your skull with my fingers. There is no one strong enough to challenge me face-to-face.
“Now.” The Elder Wyrm took a step back, her eyes hard. “It is time to end this little game, once and for all. But don’t worry, daughter. Soon, all your memories of this day will be erased, along with everything else. In some ways, I would think it a blessing. Vessels,” she called as Garret’s bright, soulful gaze met mine across the floor. “Kill the—”
A shot rang out, echoing off the rafters. My heart stopped, and I stared frantically at the group surrounded by vessels, expecting one of them to topple forward.
The Elder Wyrm made a tiny choking sound above me.
Stunned, uncomprehending, I looked up. A bright red stain was oozing through the front of her white blouse and spreading over her chest. Gingerly, she touched the crimson mark, then stared at the blood on her fingers, her expression one of shock.
Slowly, she turned…to reveal Dante standing behind her, the muzzle of a smoking pistol aimed at her chest.
“Dante,” the Elder Wyrm breathed as I gaped at my sibling, unable to move. “You…?”
“I’m sorry.” Dante’s voice was conflicted, though his expression was resolved, his mouth set in a grim line. His eyes glittered in the shadows as he stared down the Elder Wyrm. “I would have done anything for Talon,” he said as the Elder Wyrm took a staggering step forward. “I would have sacrificed everything to see our race thrive. I’ve played the villain, slaughtered innocents, supervised the creation of atrocities and sent those abominations into battle, all for the good of our kind.” For just a moment, his gaze flicked to me, and a shadow of anguish crossed his face. “But there’s one line I will not cross, and one piece of my life I will not sacrifice. I’m sorry it’s come to this, that it’s taken me this long to see what you really wanted.”