In military terms, the darkest hour before dawn was known as Before Morning Nautical Twilight. Historically, according to Garret, it was a favorite time to launch a surprise attack on enemy forces, because it was the time when the human body was at its least alert. It also gave you a full day of war during which, hopefully, you could press your advantage and leave the enemy scrambling for control the rest of the battle.
That was the theory, anyway.
I sat beside Garret in the back of the semi truck, feeling every bounce and rumble of the gravel road through the metal walls of the container. Outside, it was dark; the only light came from a couple lanterns set on the floor of the semi, but at least it wasn’t cold. Not with the amount of bodies surrounding us.
Beside us, covering nearly every square inch of the container, a small army of dragons waited in silence. Hatchlings, Juveniles and dragonells sat quietly along the wall, their expressions grim with anticipation. A few were asleep, curled up in corners or leaning against a friend, and I envied them the few hours of oblivion. We’d been traveling through the night, and even with several pillows, blankets and mattresses scattered about, the bed of a semi truck was not comfortable. Riley was up front driving the rig, with Wes and Mist beside him in the cab, and I also envied them the additional comfort of padded seats. But I had volunteered to stay in the back with the rest of the hatchlings and dragonells, so I couldn’t complain. At least there were no soldiers of St. George in the container with us—well, besides Garret. The rest of the Order were trailing behind in a second semi, and it was a relief not to have to worry about certain soldiers taking offense over sharing space with dragons.
Though, there being less of them, they probably had a lot more room in the back of the truck. Stupid St. George prejudices. We were allies, yes, but there was still a long way to go.
Beside me, Garret was calm. He was dressed like a soldier, in a black armored vest, gloves and combat boots, with a variety of weapons holstered to his belt or across his chest. I was dressed similarly, with a vest over my Viper suit, an M4 over my shoulder and a pistol holstered to my belt. His gloved hand was curled around mine in the space between us, and I could feel the easy rise and fall of his breath.
I wished I could find some of his tranquility. For the past hour, I’d been trying to calm myself, to ease the frantic writhing of nerves in my stomach the closer we got to our destination. I knew the hatchlings and the dragonells were just as scared, probably more so, and they were all holding up remarkably well, considering the situation. But to me, gazing over the crowded container, they all seemed very young. Which was silly, as most of the hatchlings were my age or older, and some of the dragonells were Juveniles. They had their whole lives ahead of them, centuries of living left to do. But, for some of them at least, it was all going to end today.
I shivered, and beside me Garret turned his head, a worried look on his face. “You all right?” he asked.
I nodded, shoving my worries, regrets and doubts to the back of my mind. “How much longer?”
He glanced at his watch. “Another fifteen minutes,” he murmured, making my stomach want to crawl up my throat. I shoved it down with the rest of my fears. “We’re nearly to the stopping point.”
And then, the hand that had been laced with mine disengaged, and he curled his arm around my shoulders, pulling me to him. I didn’t resist, and he shifted slightly to draw me to his chest, wrapping both arms around me. I tucked my head under his chin and closed my eyes, knowing the hatchlings and dragonells were watching, not caring what they thought. Garret lay his cheek atop my head and tangled his fingers in my hair, but didn’t go any further than that. We held each other in silence, listening to our hearts thump quietly together. Last time, his pulse seemed to whisper to me. Last time, last time, last time.
The semi shuddered once and rumbled to a stop. I felt Garret take a deep breath, felt his arms tighten almost painfully for a moment, before he let me go and stood, the steely soldier’s mask falling into place. I rose, as well, and watched the others climb to their feet, their faces pale but determined.
The doors creaked open, and Riley stood there, eyes glowing yellow against the darkness. A pine-scented breeze drifted into the container, and I breathed in the fresh air as it drove away the smell of rust and fear and too many bodies packed in too small a space.
I hopped down from the truck, and my boots squelched in mud as I surveyed our surroundings. We were on a narrow dirt road in the middle of a vast forest, and with the upward cant of the ground, it felt like we were on a hill or mountainside. It was very quiet, and overhead the sky was still bright with stars.
Blinding lights announced the arrival of the other semi, and I winced, shielding my eyes until the massive truck stopped a few yards away and shut off the headlamps. As Martin dropped from the driver’s seat and walked toward us, Garret and Riley joined me at the edge of the road.
“All right,” Riley began as we gathered in a loose circle, two soldiers and two dragons—Martin and Garret, me and Riley. The rest of the hatchlings, dragonells and soldiers clustered around the trucks, waiting nervously, as the team commanders met for the last time. “We’re about five miles from the mining facility, according to Wes. This road goes to the front gates. Which means that the second entrance is around that peak, due west from the gates. If you head straight that way—” he nodded toward the forest “—you should walk right into it.”
“I have it marked on my GPS,” Garret said. “We’ll find it.”
Martin nodded and gazed up the road. “We’ll be waiting about a half mile from the front gates,” he said. “Barring complications, it should take you an hour to reach the second entrance. Radio us when you get there—that will be our signal to start the attack.”
“After that,” Riley added, “we’ll cause as much of a ruckus and buy as much time as we can for you to find the chamber with the army and blow it sky-high.”
I swallowed hard. Riley was counting on us, as were the rogues, the hatchlings, the dragonells and the rest of the Order. We couldn’t screw this up. We had to reach the vessels and destroy the army, otherwise the sacrifices of everyone here would be for nothing.
“We won’t fail,” Garret promised, echoing my sentiment. Riley gave a tired nod, as if wanting to believe him but knowing that we were probably going to lose a great deal before it was over.
“All right,” Martin said. “Then, if we all know what to do, I suppose there’s nothing left but to get this mission started. Sebastian…” He looked at Garret, an almost fatherly affection going through his eyes. “Be careful in there. Come back alive, if you can. That’s an order.”
“Yes, sir,” the soldier answered quietly.
“Ms. Hill,” Martin said, and with a shock, I realized he was talking to me. Though his tone was a little stiff, he looked me straight in the eye as he spoke. “I don’t know if I’ll see you again, or what will happen afterward, should this mission go as planned. I do want you to know that, whatever the result, I am committed to seeing the Order change. It will take time, there will be heavy resistance, and in the end I am not certain what the Order of St. George will be, how it will continue to exist. But there will be change. There must be change. You—all of you,” he added with a brief glance at Garret and Riley, “are proof of that.”
A lump rose to my throat, and my insides curled. I didn’t know what touched me more: that he was finally saying the words I’d longed to hear the Order admit for so long, or that he was giving me his promise because he thought we weren’t coming back. Granted, he was only one man, and his position in St. George would be tenuous at best, but it was a start. “Thank you, Lieutenant,” I whispered. “I hope that I…that we all will see that happen one day.”
“I hope so, too.” Martin gave a resigned smile. “Good luck to us all,” he said, and walked back toward the truck, where Lieutenant Ward and the rest of the soldiers waited for him. As Martin approached, the second officer’s gaze flicked to mine, grim and unsmiling, but not hostile. He gave me a single nod, then turned his back on us to speak to his men.
Riley sighed. “Well,” he said, looking at me and Garret, “guess this is it. I have to get our side ready for the assault, and I hate long goodbyes, so…” A shadow of pain crossed his face before he looked at me, forcing a defiant grin. “Good luck in there, Firebrand. If anyone has a chance of making this happen, it’ll be you. I hope I’ll get to see you blow Talon’s shit to kingdom come, but if…if I don’t make it, just know that you’ve made my life infinitely more exciting. I know that we’ve had some rough spots, and I wish some things could’ve gone differently, but I’m glad we met. And I think that goes for everyone.” He glanced at the soldier watching quietly on my other side. “None of us would be here now if we hadn’t met you.”
My eyes prickled. “Stop talking like we’re never going to see each other again,” I told him. “This isn’t goodbye forever. You’re going to get through this, like you’ve always done.”
This time his smile was wry. “If you say so, Firebrand.” Stepping close, he gazed down with intense gold eyes, and Cobalt’s presence surrounded me, the echo of the blue dragon so clear it was like I was staring right at him. “But in case the worst happens,” the rogue dragon murmured, “and I go out in a blaze of glory and dragonfire, I don’t want you beating yourself up over it. I regret nothing between us, Ember. Everything we’ve done, everything that’s happened, has been worth every pain and fear and drop of blood. And if we do get through this, I can’t wait to see what will happen next. It’s been a good fight.”
“Yeah.” I blinked back tears. “A great fight.”
“Then let’s finish it,” Cobalt said. “Once and for all. St. George?” He grinned at the human then, shocking us both, held out a hand. “I trust you’re going to do what you do best, and fuck up Talon’s plans to hell and back?”
Garret’s mouth curled, and he gripped the offered hand firmly. “I’ll do my best.”
“Good. Try not to die in there.”
Two more soldiers broke away from the second truck and came forward, dressed in all black, the remaining members of the infiltration team. They were, according to Martin and Ward, the best soldiers from each of the chapterhouses, and each had volunteered to back us up on the mission. One of them was Tristan, who gave me and Garret a brief nod as he stepped up. The other, unfortunately, was Peter Matthews.
I bit back a grimace. I didn’t know why he had volunteered, but I suspected he wanted to be on the mission that was the most important. Or maybe the thought of blowing up a roomful of Adult dragons appealed to him. I hoped his tendency to be a douche would not interfere in the middle of the mission, or I would be tempted to set him on fire.
“This everyone?” Matthews commented as he and Tristan joined us. The soldier’s gaze lingered on me and Riley and his jaw tightened, as if he wanted to say something, but he kept his opinion to himself. “The whole circus team?”
“Almost,” I replied, determined not to let him get to me. “There’s one more. She should be here anytime.”
Tristan blinked and frowned at Garret, who was watching with a raised brow and the hint of a smile on his face. “Something you want to say, Sebastian?”
“Just surprised that you’re here,” Garret replied, “and not crouched behind that huge gun we lifted from the train. I was sure you’d be the one to volunteer for the prototype.”
“Oh, believe me, I wanted to.” Tristan shrugged. “I’m already kicking myself for not being the first one to fire the Dragonkiller. But, the way I see it, this is probably our last mission together. And I promised Martin I’d watch your back, make sure a lizard doesn’t drop onto it while you’re trying to save the world.” He smirked at Garret. “So don’t make me regret that decision, partner.”
Mist appeared behind Riley like a ghost, soundless and graceful, her pale hair tucked under a dark cap. She carried a pair of backpacks in each hand, and gingerly handed one to each of us. “Be careful,” she warned as I hefted mine onto my back, feeling something large and rectangular inside. “There’s enough explosives in each of these to bring down the whole cave system. So I would try very hard not to jostle it around.”
“All right. Then we’re ready.” Looking around at the small group of three soldiers and two dragons, Garret nodded and stepped back toward the trees at the edge of the road. “Dawn is an hour away,” he announced, slipping into the role of squad commander like it was nothing. “And it’ll take that long to reach the second entrance. Let’s go.”
As we started off, Riley suddenly reached out, catching Mist by the arm and making her turn. For a moment, the two of them stared at each other, seeming to forget the world around them. My pulse skipped a beat at the emotions flaring between the two, at the way Riley gazed at Mist like he would never see her again.
Could he be…? My heart throbbed as I hurried after Garret and the others, but not in the way I thought it might. Though the tug of the Sallith’tahn was still there, weak but persistent, both sides of myself had chosen the soldier. Dragon instincts stirred, more curious than jealous at the thought of Cobalt with another dragon, but mostly I was happy for them, for Riley in particular. The worry on his face, and the way Mist gazed back at him—it was more than concern for a teammate. They might not know it themselves, but they felt something for each other, something more than friendship, trust and the begrudging respect each had for the other Basilisk.
But I knew why they would resist getting close to anyone right before the final battle, and I ached for them both. Nothing about this was certain, except the knowledge that there would be casualties before the night was over. I desperately hoped they would survive. We had all suffered, but Riley had experienced so much loss in such a short time; he deserved to find happiness with someone.
“Be careful, Mist,” I heard him whisper as I entered the trees after the soldiers. “Come back alive.”
“I will,” Mist answered quietly, “but only if you promise to do the same.”
Riley’s answer was too soft for me to hear, and I didn’t want to stop to look back at them, so I continued to follow Garret and the soldiers. A few seconds later, the Basilisk appeared beside me, her expression somber. She caught my gaze and raised a brow, but I didn’t say anything about the conversation with Riley, and neither did she.
Together, we slipped through the shadowy undergrowth of the forest toward our final destination.