Page 34 of Wild Fire

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“World domination, but the Shadow League is made up of thugs. Smarter than the cultists for sure, but they don’t have the intelligence or resources for any kind of cloning project.”

“But what if…” Zahran started and then stopped.

“Speak,” commanded Falkor.

“What if humans are behind it? What if some group has discovered the secret of shifters and more specifically dragon-shifters? What if they want to create an unstoppable force in order to rule over shifters and humans alike?”

The logic behind Zahran’s words, combined with the latest medical advances, made the possibilities endless and terrifying, but right now Warrick just wanted Dani safe.

The effects of the seawater and iron were beginning to fade. Warrick cast aside his concern for his mate and began to try and establish the link. Although at any kind of distance and with Dani both human and unwilling to commit herself, the tether had been tenuous at best.

Dani. He reached out with every fiber of his being—heart, soul, and mind. Dani.

Warrick? Is it really you? Are you alive?

Even dragons cannot reach beyond the veil that separates the living from the dead.

A simple yes would have done.

“Can you feel her?” Falkor said quietly so as to not interrupt Warrick’s fragile connection to his mate.

Warrick nodded. Where are you?

Seattle, I think, but not in the city. It’s too quiet. And we’re close to the sea. It’s some kind of abandoned building. I’m so tired.

Rest, my love, but don’t sleep—focus on me. We are coming. Stay alive and awake and we will find you.

“You can direct us from here,” said Falkor. “You’re still weak.”

“She is my eternal flame. If I had claimed her, the link might have been strong enough. You’ll never find her without me. Darkness approaches. We will use it to our advantage.”

“I can’t stop you?”

“Could any power on earth have kept you from Kessily?”

“None. Then we fly together.”

Warrick nodded and made his way outside, calling forth his dragon and lifting off from the earth before the maelstrom had fully dissipated. He would allow his brothers to keep him safe and away from prying eyes. All of his energy and strength would be on finding Dani and taking her to safety.

He flew low to the ground, hugging the river and keeping an eye on the road they must have taken. Mile after mile, he felt his energy and power returning as his fix on Dani’s location began to consolidate and strengthen. The night descended as the moon and stars rose to guide their way. Dani was exhausted but continued to reach out to him.

They flew towards Seattle, banking north, but almost immediately, Warrick felt compelled to head south of the city toward the Olympic Peninsula where the Olympic Mountains almost tumbled into the sea. There were many abandoned ports and towns along the desolate coastline. The craggy cliffs gave them excellent cover, as did the scarcity of populated areas.

The small squadron of dragons crossed the tip of the peninsula between Neah and Callam Bays, flying south along the shoreline, close enough to the water that one wrong move, one beat of a wing, could cause grievous injury from the saltwater. But the currents in the night sky were blowing their way, giving them a tailwind to help them along.

Warrick reached out along the tether again, scenting the air as he did so. Had stealth not been among their greatest assets, he would have roared with joy, lighting up the night sky with a stream of fire. Falkor bumped him wing-to-wing, indicating an abandoned coastal town with a warehouse building sitting right on the dock. Dani and her detective’s eye for detail had led them to where they were holding her. Of that, he was sure.

A single freighter and two smaller boats were tied up at the dock. Falkor led them to a place hidden above the harbor at the top of a precipice that overlooked the abandoned town—abandoned by all but the cultists and their masters.

Landing as a unit, Falkor sent out scouts to ensure there would be no witnesses. He then turned to Warrick. “Do we have any idea how many of them there are?”

“Dani had said that while the cult itself numbered close to a hundred, those involved in the trafficking numbered less than half that. Keep in mind many of the women who joined the cult often found themselves victims and sold into slavery. We need to have some of our men shift and ensure we can isolate the victims away from their captors and see what it is we must do.”

Falkor nodded. “We’ll check the boats first and then move into the warehouse. Wait for my signal and then move in. We’ll let you know where we are. Raze this place to the ground. I want whoever is behind this to know they have made an enemy of the Phantom Fire.”

Normally, it would have been Warrick who led the smaller raiding party in their human form, but he knew Falkor was aware he was still feeling the effects of the attack on him and Dani. He waited as Falkor and several others shifted and changed into black clothing and picked up the automatic weaponry they had brought with them.

Only a dragon’s superior night vision could observe as the shifted unit of the Phantom Fire moved like wraiths through the darkness, ensuring that the boats contained no slaves and killing only those slavers they needed to. It wasn’t that any would survive this night, it was that they didn’t want anyone to raise the alarm before they had ensured all the victims had been secured.