to die a moment ago, but now freedom was staring me in the face. If I did this, if I stepped through that door, there was no turning back.
For just a moment, the Perfect Soldier recoiled at the idea of accepting the help of our greatest enemies, even now. But I knew the truth, and it cast an ominous shadow over my thoughts. There was something wrong within the Order, something I’d never seen before I met Ember. It was treason to speak against St. George doctrine, treason to consider that the Order could be mistaken. No one in St. George was willing to hear the other side of the story, that a dragon, a creature whose race they had hunted and killed for hundreds of years, could be more than just a monster. No one was willing to accept the idea that the Order of St. George had slaughtered those who did not deserve it.
Regardless, the Order was no longer home. I’d already been sentenced to die, at the hands of the very people who had raised me. I wouldn’t be any more of a traitor if I left this place in the company of two dragons who’d risked their lives to get me out. That made a pretty good argument, right there.
“I’m with you,” I said quietly, and stepped through the door. The other dragon was still watching me, gold eyes assessing, but my gaze sought Ember’s, and I saw relief spread across her face as I left the cell. I heard another disgusted snort from her companion, but I ignored it. I was a soldier of St. George no longer. I had no idea how Ember and her companion were going to get us out but, at least for now, I was free. If I was going to die today, I would go down fighting.
“Come on,” growled the second dragon, gesturing impatiently. “It’s almost dawn.”
We hurried from the cell block, passing through the guard station, where two soldiers lay in crumpled heaps on the floor, out cold. One of them had what looked like a broken nose and the other’s forehead was a mess of blood where, I suspected, he’d been bashed against the edge of the desk. I paused, kneeling down to grab the 9 mm from one of their side holsters, trying not to look at them as I checked the chamber for rounds. I might be with the enemy now, but they were still my former brothers, men I had trained with and fought beside. That couldn’t be forgotten in a single night, or even in a single act of betrayal. The male dragon glared at me as I rose with the gun, obviously not pleased with the idea that I was armed, but didn’t challenge me as we continued down the hall and up the stairs to the main floor.
The building was quiet as we exited the stairwell; it was still too early for most soldiers to be up and about, though I could see the sky had turned a disquieting navy blue, no longer the pitch-black of true night. Morning formations began at oh five hundred, which was less than an hour and a half away. The base would be stirring soon. Not to mention, we still had to get past security and the patrols around the perimeter fence. I didn’t know how Ember and the other dragon had managed to get this far without being seen, but I was less than optimistic that we could waltz out again without trouble. Everything was quiet. This seemed way too easy.
The other dragon—Riley, I remembered his name was—stopped us at the back door and spoke quietly into what I presumed was a wire. A moment later, he nodded and pushed open the door, confirming what I suspected; they had an outsider hacked into the security cams. He had to be good; Order security was tight. He also had to be fairly close to pick up the signal.
Outside, it was still dark. We skirted the light and stayed to the shadows, moving low and silent across the barren yard. Once, a patrol passed us, talking in low voices, and we flattened ourselves against a wall until they disappeared. The buildings provided some cover, though we had to be wary of windows and doorways where someone could spot us. But what worried me the most was the last stretch to the fence line; flat and open, with little to no cover. If we were spotted and they opened fire on us then, we’d be gunned down in seconds.
I imagined the uproar this would cause. If the Order realized two dragons had been able to walk in, free a prisoner, and walk merrily out again, there would probably be several weeks of chaos as chapterhouses around the globe scrambled to tighten security, double patrols and lock down networks. Training would intensify. I imagined heads would roll higher up the chain of command. Dragons making a mockery of the Order? Sneaking in right under their noses? A few months ago, the idea would’ve angered and horrified me; right now I was severely disinclined to care. St. George was done with me. I didn’t know where I would go from here; the Order had been my whole life. I didn’t know what else was out there. But one thing I was sure of: dawn would not find me standing in front of the firing wall, about to be executed for saving a dragon.
But we weren’t out of here yet.
Four hundred yards to the perimeter fence…and everything exploded.
As we huddled by a wall, ready to make that final dash over open ground toward the fence line, a siren blared, shattering the quiet. Ember jumped, and the other dragon cursed, pressing back into the wall as lights erupted all around us. Spotlights flashed to life, huge white circles gliding over the ground and scouring the sky. Doors opened, and soldiers began pouring from everywhere, looking confused but alert as they gathered in loose squads, gazing around warily.
“What’s going on?” Ember whispered.
“They know we’re here,” the other dragon spat. “Probably found the empty cell and the guards.” He swore again and peered around the corner, narrowing his eyes. “Wes, we’ve been discovered. Can you kill the lights?” A moment passed, and he shook his head. “Fine, then get out of here! Don’t worry about us—we’ll catch up at the rendezvous point.” He paused a moment, then snarled, “I don’t care, Wes, just go!”
Soldiers were everywhere now. I raised my gun, though I cringed at the thought of firing on my former brothers. “We’re not going to make it,” I told the other two quietly. And for a second, I felt a stab of regret that Ember had come. I’d wanted her to be free of St. George, to not live in fear of dragonslayers trying to kill her. Now, she would die here with me.
“It’s too far,” I told them as they glanced back. “There are too many between us and the fence line. We’ll never reach it without being seen. Ember…” I looked into her wide green eyes. She stared back without fear or regret, making my heart twist. “I’ll lead them away. They’ll be looking for me. You and Riley get out of here, any way you can.”
Her eyes flashed defiance. “Don’t you dare, Garret,” she almost snarled. “I didn’t come all this way to free you just to leave you behind again. That’s the most pointless thing I’ve ever heard.” She stepped away from the wall, and her eyes were glowing now, a luminous emerald green. “We’re getting out of here, all of us, right now!”
A searing white light swung around, pinning us in its glare. I winced and raised my arm to shield my face, just as the girl in front of me disappeared and a fiery crimson dragon reared up to take her place. Shouts rang out over the base, as the red dragon landed on all fours, dark wings outstretched, and roared a challenge that made the air shiver.
“Shit!” There was another ripple of energy as Ember’s companion shed his human form, becoming a sleek blue dragon with a fin down his neck and back. My pulse spiked as the two inhuman creatures turned on me, eyes glowing. Even now, instinct was telling me to run, that they were the enemy and I had to gun them down before they attacked and tore me to shreds.
Shots rang out behind me, sparking off the wall. Ember snarled, flinching back, and I spun, raising my weapon. A patrol of two was rushing at us, guns drawn and firing on the dragons pinned in the spotlight. They hadn’t seen me, or rather, their attention was riveted to the creatures behind me. I raised my gun, silently asking forgiveness, and fired at their legs. The soldiers cried out and pitched forward, crashing to the ground, but I could see more running toward us. The whole base was alerted now and knew dragons were inside the compound.
“Garret!”
