Page 34 of Inferno

I set my jaw. “Fine,” I muttered, and stepped back, lowering the gun. “But if you double-cross us, let all their deaths be on your head, and know that Iwillcome for you even if it kills me. How soon can you get to the place you need to be?”

“Two minutes” was the reply. “How much time doyouneed?”

“That should be enough. I’ll give my team the two-minute warning. Don’t throw the locks until you hear it start.”

“Hear…what start?”

I smiled coldly. “You’ll know when it begins. Trust me.”

The human paled but pushed himself off the wall and hurried to the door. “Give me two minutes from the time I walk out,” he said over his shoulder. “And Scarlett…good luck to you. Tell the rest of them I hope their lives will be better.”

“I will,” the dragon said solemnly. “Thank you, Doctor. For everything.”

He nodded once more and vanished through the frame.

“Mist,” I growled into the com as soon as the door had closed. “We’re about to start. Where is everyone?”

“All here” came the instant reply. “Everyone is gathered, and the soldiers are ready. Waiting on your order.”

“Good.” I checked my watch. One minute, thirty-nine seconds till go time. “Stand by.” I switched channels and growled, “You there, St. George?”

“Yes.”

“In position?”

“Ready and waiting.”

“Okay.” I counted down the last few seconds and took a deep breath. “Light it up.”

GARRET

“Bravo is in position.” I raised the night vision binoculars and saw the large front gate, flanked by two watchtowers, that led into the main compound. Ember crouched beside me, in human form for now, though I could almost feel the buzz of energy surrounding her, ready to explode into wings and scales. I looked behind me at the soldier with the RPG aimed at the compound, and nodded. “Fire.”

With a deafening hiss and a line of smoke, the rocket-propelled missile slammed into the heavy iron gates, and the explosion that lit up the sky could probably be heard for miles. Almost immediately, spotlights flared to life in the towers, sweeping down to rake the ground in front of us, and shouts of alarm echoed through the ruined gates, getting closer every second.

Here we go.I glanced at Ember, who caught my eye and offered a grim smile, as the soldiers around us raised their guns and dug into position. “Don’t get killed, soldier boy,” she ordered, reaching down to squeeze my arm “We’re going home after this. All of us.”

I smiled. “Count on it.”

Men poured through the shattered gates, and the soldiers around me opened fire, filling the air with the howl of machine guns. I raised my weapon and joined the fray as Ember Shifted and launched herself skyward with a blast of wind. Her chilling battle cry rose over the screams and roar of gunfire, and everything dissolved into chaos.

I knelt behind a tree, firing short, controlled bursts at the enemy before ducking back into cover to avoid retaliation. The enemy guards, once they realized they had been ambushed, quickly sought cover behind the walls and shattered gate. There were more than I’d first thought, and they wisely did not press forward to engage us in the open, returning fire from the safety of their walls and towers. The spotlight raked over the ground, pinning a soldier in its glare one second before he was torn to pieces by gunfire.

“We need to take down those towers!” Ward’s voice hissed in my ear. “Sebastian, you’re close. See if you can draw its fire. Matthews, be ready to take the gunners out when he does.”

I gritted my teeth. For a split second, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was a ploy to get me killed. But I was a soldier, and he was my commanding officer. I had to trust he knew what he was doing.

I popped out of cover, firing several rounds at the closest watchtower, trying to see past the blinding circle of light as it swung around. Just before it reached me, I dove behind the tree again, and a storm of bullets peppered the trunk, tearing chunks from the wood and showering me with splinters. I huddled against my vanishing cover, expecting a round in my back at any moment.

There was a Draconic roar of fury, a flare of orange light that lit up the forest, and the storm of bullets abruptly ceased. I peeked around the shredded trunk to see the watchtower on fire, flames pouring from the roof and out the sides, as a small crimson dragon wheeled around to strafe it again. Cries of alarm rang out, and shots were fired after her, but Ember twisted in midair and darted into the trees.

“Press forward!” Ward snapped, sounding grimly pleased. “All units, take the wall. Don’t give them a chance to recover.”

We converged on the gate, using Ember’s distraction to gain ground quickly. But as we approached the wall, a shiver ran up my spine, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up. Something was coming…

I glanced up just as a massive shadow fell from the sky, landing in front of the gate with a crash that shook the ground. Spreading its wings, a huge, dark green Adult raised its head and glared down at us, hatred and loathing shining brightly in its yellow gaze.

“St. George.” Contempt dripped from the dragon’s voice as the rest of my unit fell back, raising their guns. “How dare you butchers come here. Is there no place we can be free of you?” With a snarl, it lowered its neck and spread its wings, as if blocking the path to the compound. “Your assault ends here,” it growled, and I saw the telltale swelling of its sides that made my adrenaline spike. “I will kill you all before I let you touch our females!”

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