Page 47 of Legion

I didn’t answer, feeling the truth burn its way into my heart as surely as the hottest flame. Yes, I did. I loved the soldier, the dragonslayer, thehuman, with a fierceness I’d never experienced before. Emotion wasn’t just for my other half, I could admit that now. But still, it was Cobalt who called to me, who brought the flames within to life, who made me feel like adragon.Who understood flying and hoarding and breathing fire, things that only a dragon got. Without him, I sometimes felt that I—this side of me, anyway—would shrivel up and disappear, leaving only the human half behind.

After a long silence that throbbed like a heartbeat through the empty void, human Ember threw up her hands. “So...why are we fighting each other?” she asked despairingly. “If we both feel the same, why is this happening?”

I closed my eyes, feeling we were both rushing toward a final, inevitable conclusion. “I think,” I said slowly, “you just answered your own question.”

* * *

I drew in a breath as the dragon’s words sank in. “We...keep fighting each other,” I said, and the familiar green eyes opened to stare at me. “That’s why we’re split like this, why I feel like I’m two separate creatures sometimes. But we’re not. We’re not dragonandhuman. We’re the same. Two sides of the same coin. We’ve just been struggling against the other for so long, trying to resist our instincts, because we didn’t understand.”

Dragon me curled her tail around her legs, her voice full of weary resignation. “So, what do we do now?”

“I think we have to stop fighting each other.”

She cocked her head in a surreally familiar way. “That sounds a little too easy.”

“I don’t think so.” I looked at her, really looked at her, seeing—for the first time—myself. Not my dragon side, not my baser instincts, but me. And I realized what I—we—had to do.

I smiled sadly, wishing I could have figured this out a lot sooner. “Riley is ourSallith’tahn,” I murmured, nodding. “That’s just how it is, and I have to accept that.” The dragon was watching intently, green gaze solemn in the darkness. “But instinct doesn’t have to define me,” I whispered firmly. “It doesn’t have to control my life. I don’t have to suppress it, or try to fight it. It’s not a choice between what I want to be more, dragon or human.” I closed my eyes, feeling something inside me unravel, a knot coiling free. “I’m a dragon,” I said firmly. “That’s all. Not a dragon that can love, or a dragon that has to fight to be more human. I’m both...and neither. I’m just me.”

* * *

Just me.

I opened my eyes.

His face swam above me, metallic-gray eyes bright with fear and anguish as they came into focus. I felt his arm around my shoulders, and one calloused hand pressed to my cheek, trembling slightly. I felt him freeze as I opened my eyes, heard the ragged intake of breath as our gazes met.

“Ember.” He blew out a shaky breath and pulled me to him, pressing his forehead to mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling the strength of his arms holding me close, one hand tangled in my hair. “Are you all right?” he whispered.

“I...” My head felt strange, like it was stuffed with cotton and floating several inches above my neck. I couldn’t remember how I got here; it felt like there were dark blotches on my brain, smudging out the memories. “I don’t know,” I admitted, looking up at Garret. “What happened?”

“Save it for another time.” A cool, impatient voice interrupted us. “We have to leave this place, now. Before the Elder Wyrm realizes what is happening.”

Garret and I drew back, and my eyes widened at the girl on the other side of the room. “Mist?” I exclaimed as the dragonell gave me an exasperated look. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s all right, Firebrand.” Against the far wall, Riley smiled at me, looking relieved, as well. Though he held a gun pointed at the face of an angry-looking scientist. “She’s on our side, at least for now.” He gave her a look of begrudging respect. “I don’t know what her real motivation is, but she got us here. We wouldn’t have made it this far without her help.”

“Can we please save the speculation for later?” Mist snapped. “We still have to make it to the ground floor and get off the premises. And this little side trip has significantly delayed the escape plan.” She glanced at the scientists, her face darkening. “We should kill them, to make sure they don’t sound the alarm when we leave.”

“No.” Quickly, I slid off the gurney and leaned on Garret as my legs shook and the room swayed. His arms wrapped around my waist, holding me steady. I could feel his heartbeat through his shirt, feel the warmth pulsing from his skin as I looked at Mist. “No killing,” I told her. “Not in cold blood. Find another way.”

The other dragon gave me an exasperated look and glanced at Riley. “I’m so glad we stayed behind to rescue her,” she said acidly. Frowning, she turned to the two vessels and pointed at the scientists. “Stay here. Guard the humans. If they step away from the wall, kill them.”

The clones moved forward obediently, herding the scientists into the corner and keeping their guns trained on them. The lead scientist glared at us as he was backed against the wall.

“You’ll never get out,” he said. “There are a dozen cameras between here and the ground floor. Not to mention the vessels, the guards and the rest of the security. All that has to happen is for one camera to spot you, one alarm to sound. Even with this traitor with you, you’ll never make it out alive.”

“You know, we could always kill you right now,” Riley growled, turning on the scientist and raising the gun back to his face. The human cringed away, futilely covering his head, as if that would stop a bullet, and Riley gave a grim smile. “Fortunately for you, everyone here is going to be a bit distracted in a few seconds. Mist?” He glanced at the second Basilisk, an evil smile crossing his face as he pulled out a phone. “Wes is in.”

“Then let’s get out of here.”

“Roger that. Wes...” Riley put the phone to his ear, narrowing his eyes. “Now.”

RILEY

For a second, nothing happened. The scientist glared at me, tense and apprehensive, waiting.

Then a ringing alarm blared into the silence, making everyone start. The lead scientist jumped the highest of all and gazed around wildly as the shrill ringing continued to sound. I grinned at him smugly.

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