Page 48 of Dark Embers

The dragon hit the side of the cliff with a crunch, then plummeted unconscious—or dead—to the rocks below.

Instantly, I glimpsed another one in my peripheral to the left. I went up instead of down since the simulation would anticipate me using the same moves. I was about to clamp down on the bright red wingtip, but sharp teeth sank into my left foot, and I jerked away.

The bite only lasted an instant, but when I turned to pursue my attacker, I didn’t see another dragon. All I saw was the icy air and wispy clouds above. Scanning left and right, up and down, all the remaining dragons were fleeing in all directions, already at least a hundred yards away.

Weird.

This was not how the level was supposed to be won. It was required that I incapacitate or killallthe sim dragons. They’d never given up before, so why now?

Planning to land and regroup, I headed toward the nearest peak when a searing pain shot through my right wing—right at the shoulder, and going straight back as if something wasattempting to cut it off. I couldn’t see the wound, but I was certain it was badly burned by dragon fire.

I let out a beastly dragon cry and blew out my own fiery breath into the air, but again, I couldn’t see my enemy attacking.

When more teeth sunk into my left wing and twisted like itwastrying to rip it off, I realized I was dealing with a sim dragon more like myself.

One that had the ability to become invisible.

I didn’t have time to panic, but that’s exactly what happened.

Who changed the code? Who put an invisible dragon inside the simulation? Who even knew such an ability existed?

I couldn’t help but think that someone who had access to the Simulation Room knew about my secret. And they somehow knew I’d be running this exact level today.

If I’d been alone, my first instinct would have been to become invisible myself as a defense, then find another way to take this enemy down.

But Arya was watching.

If I did it, she’d know a secret only my family and Niko knew about. A secret that could be used against me if the information got into the wrong hands. And, though a big part of me trusted Arya, another, more reliable part of me didn’t trust anyone. Especially a mer whojustshowed up and strangely didn’t know she was a mer.

I flapped my free wing, trying to shake off the enemy who still had a firm grip on me as I deliberated on what I needed to do. I succeeded but was left feeling more exposed than I ever had.

If I forfeited the program now, it would kick me back to the previous level and undo so much of the training and hard work I’d done. I wasn’t willing to make that sacrifice out of pride. But with everyone gone for the holiday, I couldn’t afford the simulation doing any more damage. So, I did what I would’ve done if I didn’t have an audience.

And went invisible.

The invisible dragon stayed close as we fought for what felt like hours. We tumbled through the icy air, back and forth, getting mouthfuls of scales—by sheer luck, at times. The dragon was determined to keep track of my position, to end me, but that also kept it within striking range.

I managed to bite down more than once, disembodied cries confirming the damage. At one point, when the sim dragon had the upper hand—and my leg in its jaws—we fell to one of the lower cliffs with a loud crash. The imprint of large wings and claws hitting the ice and snow, mixed with the splatterednot invisibleblood, which didn’t look like enough to have come from my injuries, gave me added courage.

When the beast flew off, I went still and silent. I waited, listening for beating wings, watching for visible breath. My patience was rewarded several minutes later when I heard and felt it fly close enough for me to aim a blast of fire.

It was a lucky hit. And hot enough to scorch a jagged line of scales. The damage voided their invisibility, turning them into charred blackness that could easily be seen.

The final blow was simple from there. I waited until the blackened scales settled on a lower cliff, moving up and down as the injured dragon attempted to catch its breath. Then I silently soared, wings outstretched, and glided until I was close enoughthat the sim couldn’t escape. I bit down on its neck hard enough to hear a loud snap.

I quickly pushed the limp body over the edge, then lay panting on the snow, rescinding my scales and form as I waited for the room to return to its normal, white walls.

I’d tired out more than I had in a long time, and I actually missed the cool kiss of the snow against my battered flesh as it left me, reforming into the hard floor of the room.

Who the fuck reprogrammed it?

As I caught my breath, panic began to fill me that someone had discovered the secret I’d held close for so long. And worse than that, now Arya knew I could change the color of my scales.

There was aclick, followed by running footsteps, and Arya’s hair spilled over her shoulders as she knelt down beside me, her shadow shielding me from the bright fluorescent lights overhead.

“Tobias? Are you okay?” she asked, her pitch heightened with concern as her small hands gently landed on my sweat-covered chest.

“Yep,” I rasped, weakly raising my hand in a pathetic attempt at a casual wave. “Just need to rest a moment.”

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