Page 20 of Talon

Oh, man, it’s been way too long.

With a ripple and a snarl of pain, I shed my weak human body at last, letting my real form uncoil like a spring. My spine lengthened, stretching out with tiny pops and cracks, as if trying to shake off the stiffness. My face tightened as human skin and teeth melted away, forming a narrow muzzle with razor-sharp fangs, bony eye ridges and pale horns twisting back from my skull. Scales covered my body, overlapping miniature shields, the color of flame and sunset and as hard as steel. Rearing onto my hind legs, I gave a defiant roar as my wings finally unfurled, snapping open in the wind like crimson sails. A fierce, savage joy filled me as I gave them a few practice flaps, lifting myself off the ground to hover on the wind. Yes,thiswas what I’d been missing! I felt like I’d been stuffed into a box for far too long and had finally broken free.

Dropping to the cliff, I shook myself and turned to the rogue, surprised to see him still facing the ocean. “Done yet?” he asked, the tip of his tail thumping the ground impatiently. “I would hate to offend your human sensibilities, after all. Oh, and in case you’ve forgotten, those things in the center of your back are calledwings.You use them for flying, in the event that we actually get off the ground tonight.”

I would’ve answered, but a blast of salt-laced wind buffeted said wings, teasing them open, and I couldn’t stand there any longer. Bounding forward, I leaped the railing, passed the still-sitting rogue, and launched myself off the cliff. “Keep up if you can!” I bellowed over my shoulder as the wind filled my wings and I shot skyward.

Waves crashed below me, sending up fountains of foam and spray as they churned against the rocks. Intimidating from the ground, perhaps, but not from the sky. I climbed quickly, rising into the night, until I flew higher than even the gulls dared to soar. Stars hung like diamonds overhead, and the air up here was thin and cold. Below me, the vast, endless expanse of the ocean stretched on forever, as did the glittering lights of the towns and cities spreading out from the beach. I’d never flown over a vastly populated area before, and was amazed at the amount of lights, buildings, cars and, of course, people. So many humans. And none had any idea that, far, far above, a dragon was soaring over their heads, watching them all.

Something shot by me with a screech and a blast of wind, disrupting my flight and making me wobble in the current. Catching myself, I looked up to where a sleek-winged form wheeled lazily around and glided back, eyes glowing like yellow stars.

“Not bad, hatchling.” Cobalt spun and dropped beside me, shockingly graceful. His grin was challenging. “But let’s see ifyoucan keep up now!”

Tucking his wings, he dove toward the water, leaving a blast of cold wind in his wake. With a determined flap, I plunged after him, and we fell from the sky like rocks, the air shrieking around me. As we neared the ocean, my third membrane slid across my eyes, protecting me from spray and salt, but Cobalt still didn’t slow down.

We were seconds from hitting the water when a swell rose up behind us, a wall of water nearly fifteen feet high. Cobalt’s wings finally opened a few feet from the water, pulling him up at the last second, skimming the surface. I snapped mine open, too, barely managing to keep from diving snout-first into the churning sea. But we were both in the shadow of the huge wave, and it was starting to curl, an avalanche of foam and seawater and pounding surf, descending right on us.

Cobalt gave a screech of defiance and pumped his wings, shooting ahead of the wave. I flapped after him, keeping ahead of the swell just like I did when surfing, skimming the surface of the wall. As the wave began to break, we banked to the left, following the curl of the wave, and suddenly, I wasflyingin the pipe. Thrilled, I stuck out a claw and traced the wall of water, letting it slide through my talons just as I did while surfing. I could see the end of the tunnel, starting to collapse with water and foam, and gave my wings a final push.

Cobalt broke from the pipe, rocketing into the air with a triumphant bugle. I was right behind him, shooting through the curtain of white just as the wave collapsed with a roar, churning furiously as it pounded at nothing. I howled in pure glee, spiraling into the air after the rogue, every fiber of my being surging with adrenaline.

“That. Was. Awesome!” I panted, switching to English for the last word, as there was nothing in Draconic that actually meantawesome.Cobalt, grinning as he hovered in the air, beating his wings in rapid, downward sweeps, didn’t argue or even taunt me. “Why hasn’t anyone ever tried that before?”

The rogue laughed. “I don’t think Talon wants it catching on, Firebrand. They’d have a coronary if they knew we were out here tonight.” He snorted, rolling his golden eyes. “But screw what Talon thinks. This night is ours. Ready for another go?”

I flashed him a toothy smile. “Race you to the water!”

* * *

We “wing surfed” for the rest of the night, cruising above the ocean until a wave rose up behind us and we raced it to shore, breaking away just before it collapsed into pounding foam and surf. It was amazing. It was just like surfing, only better, because now I wasflying.Cobalt stayed right with me, even through the waves where I thought I’d wipe out. He was shockingly graceful, twisting and looping through water as easily as air, and some of his aerial stunts were pretty impressive, though I didn’t tell him that. He’d obviously been doing this a long time.

Still, I was no slacker when it came to flying, either, and didn’t wipe out once, though I came really close a few times. It helped that I wasn’t bound to a surfboard when racing monster waves in dragon form and could always fly away when I thought I might eat it.

Finally Cobalt broke away to perch on a boulder jutting up from the water, beckoning me over with a claw. Reluctantly, I flapped up to join him, digging my talons into the jagged stone and sinking to my haunches, facing the rogue.

“What’s the matter?” I teased as waves crashed into the rock, drenching me with spray. I didn’t want to stop. I hadn’t had nearly enough. “Getting tired already?”

He flashed me a knowing smile and folded his wings comfortably behind him. “Don’t get too big for your fire gland, hatchling,” he warned, though it lacked the bite of before. “I just wanted to point out that sunrise is about two hours away. And that if your guardians are early risers, you should probably flap on home soon, before they wake up.”

I jumped and looked to the eastern horizon, where a faint blue glow had snuck up and chased away the stars. The dragon bravado shriveled a little, and my human sensibilities rose up to take its place. “Oh, crap! What time is it? Did we really stay out all night?”

“And then some.” Cobalt regarded me with intense, half-lidded eyes. “And I bet you’ve never had so much fun breaking the rules. So, what were you saying about rogues again?”

I scowled at him. “You never answered any of my questions, either. Or was that your plan all along?”

“Pretty much.” The rogue’s grin was smug, and I bristled. “Don’t glare at me, Firebrand. You know asking questions was the last thing on your mind. Now you have an excuse to do this again.”

Again?Could I do this again? Once was risky enough; I had snuck out of the house, Shifted into dragon form and had gone flying after midnight with a rogue. Just one of those offenses was enough to get me sent back to Talon. “What makes you think there will be a next time?” I challenged.

“Because I know you’re curious.” Cobalt’s voice turned somber. “Because you’re exactly like me—you don’t want your whole life planned out. You’re tired of following Talon’s rules, of not having any say in your future. You want to know who Talon really is, but it’s even more than that, isn’t it? You want to be free.” His eyes gleamed, golden and brilliant in the shadows. “And I can show you how.”

A chill crept up my spine. Sneaking out was one thing, but this? “That’s treason,” I whispered. Cobalt shrugged, making his wings ripple.

“You’re sitting here in your real form talking to a rogue. I think we’re a little past breaking the rules.”

He had a point. Still, I wasn’t about to let him get the upper hand. I’d come here for a reason. It had been forgotten in the thrill of flying and breaking a half dozen Talon rules tonight, but I wasn’t about to give up.

“You promised me answers,” I insisted, well aware of the passing of time, of every second that ticked by. I had to go soon, or I’d be in a world of trouble. “You said you had information about Talon. Were you telling the truth, or was that just a ploy to get me out here?”

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