Let’s hope he’s right about this code.
I punched in the eight-number sequence and waited.
There was a hiss, then a section of wall beside the washer shifted and rotated out, like the secret passageway in a spy movie. The room beyond the hidden door was dark, but glowed with a faint green light.
For a moment, I just stood there, gaping at the revolving door like an idiot, until the panel beeped a warning and the wall section began to glide shut.
Whoops. Move, Ember! I sprinted across the floor and ducked through the opening with only seconds to spare. As the panel closed behind me with a hiss, I had the fleeting thought that I might be trapped, but then I saw the rest of the room.
“Holy…” I blinked in astonishment, gazing around. This was definitely not the basement, or even the secret tunnel, with rough cement floors and dim lighting. This looked more like the set of Star Trek or NCIS. The entire back wall was one gigantic screen, dark for now, but I could tell the images would be nearly life-size when it was on. The floor was shiny black tile and reflected the blinking lights of a long computer console that ran the length of one wall.
Against the other wall…My stomach went cold. What looked like a large metal cell sat in one corner. Not exactly a cage, but pretty darn close. It had tiny barred windows near the top, fireproof walls, and thick double doors big enough to hold a horse. Or a Shifted hatchling dragon.
“What the hell?” I whispered, venturing farther into the room.
My eyes hurt from being open so wide. I could hardly believe this place sat right beneath a sleepy little beach community, and no one had any idea. Talon never mentioned anything like this. Cobalt had been right.
So, what else is he right about?
My gaze fell on the console and the myriad blinking lights that ran along the surface. A chair sat in front of a smaller screen, with a keyboard below it, and I headed in that direction. If I could get into Talon’s files, or my guardian’s email, maybe I could discover what they were doing. Or at least figure out what they wanted from me and Dante.
I’d just taken a few steps when I heard the hiss of the door behind me and realized someone was coming in.
Crap. Turning, I flung myself at the only visible hiding spot, the open door of the cell, pressing myself against the cold metal wall.
The inside of the cage was dark; only a few slivers of light filtered in from the barred windows up top, and I shivered. I couldn’t imagine being locked inside this thing, dragon or no. I’d be clawing at the walls to get out.
Peeking through the crack in the door, I saw Liam and Sarah pass briefly through my line of sight before continuing toward the back of the room. The chair squeaked as someone sat in it, and a sequence of taps and clicks soon followed. The light through the windows flickered, becoming brighter, and I realized the huge screen had come to life.
“Report,” droned a deep male voice, in a brusque tone that reminded me of my trainer. Even through the walls of the cell, it made me jump. “What is the status of Ember and Dante Hill?”
I froze, suddenly afraid to move. I couldn’t see the screen, of course.
Not unless I pulled myself up the barred windows and peeked out, and I wasn’t going risk getting caught. But even without seeing him, knew that the speaker was a dragon. Possibly one of Talon’s upper executives, though I’d never met one myself. The dragons that ran the cooperation were very tight-lipped about their whereabouts, for fear that St. George would hunt them down. Why would one of Talon’s higher-ups be talking about me and Dante? I pressed against the wall and held my breath, listening hard.
“Dante has adjusted well, sir,” Liam said, his voice emotionless even through the wall between us. “He excels at human interaction and is comfortable within the social circle he has built himself. He follows the rules and understands what is expected of him. I foresee no problems with his assimilation.”
“Good,” said the voice, though there was no praise or pleasure in his tone. “As we expected. What of his clutch-mate, Ember Hill?”
“Ember,” Liam replied, and an edge had entered his voice, “is a little more…problematic. She has made friends and is adjusting well, but…” He paused.
“She is reckless,” Sarah broke in, sounding like she couldn’t hold back any longer. “She flaunts the rules and is drawn to dangerous, risky activities. She resists our authority and constantly questions her trainer. In fact, I think Dante is the only reason she hasn’t done something drastic. He keeps her grounded, but I fear even he may not be able to control her much longer.”
The voice was silent a moment, pondering this, while I bit my lip and ordered my heart to stop racing. Was this the moment they would decide to call me back for retraining? Alone? My stomach heaved. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t go back there. Especially without Dante. I would die of loneliness and boredom.
“Has she broken any rules?” the voice finally asked, making my insides clench once more. If Dante had told them, if they knew about that night with Cobalt, I was as good as gone.
“No,” Liam said reluctantly, making me slump with relief. “Not to our knowledge. But she could be a ticking time bomb—”
“Then we will observe her more closely,” the voice interrupted.
“Ember Hill could be a danger to the organization, or she could simply be acting out from the unaccustomed freedom. It is not uncommon with hatchlings. Better that she get it out of her system now, it will let her focus on her training in the long run. It is not a viable reason to pull her out, since by your own admission, she has not broken any of the rules.”
Huh. I blinked in shock. That’s…surprisingly reasonable. Maybe Talon isn’t as bad as Cobalt lets on.
“And what of the rogue?” Sarah asked suddenly, turning my blood to ice. “It could still be hanging around. What if Ember or Dante runs into—”
“The rogue,” the voice said, overriding her, “will be taken care of. You need not concern yourself. Our agents moved in last month when he was first reported and determined that he had fled town. He will likely not return, but if you see him, or if either of your charges mentions him, you will inform us immediately, is that clear?”
Dante, I thought, as both guardians muttered consent. It was you, wasn’t it? You told them about Cobalt. That’s why he left, and why our trainers arrived early. It was you all along.
“We will speak with Ember’s trainer and see if anything can be done to focus her energy down a more productive path,” the voice went on. “Now, are there any other pressing concerns?”
I punched in the eight-number sequence and waited.
There was a hiss, then a section of wall beside the washer shifted and rotated out, like the secret passageway in a spy movie. The room beyond the hidden door was dark, but glowed with a faint green light.
For a moment, I just stood there, gaping at the revolving door like an idiot, until the panel beeped a warning and the wall section began to glide shut.
Whoops. Move, Ember! I sprinted across the floor and ducked through the opening with only seconds to spare. As the panel closed behind me with a hiss, I had the fleeting thought that I might be trapped, but then I saw the rest of the room.
“Holy…” I blinked in astonishment, gazing around. This was definitely not the basement, or even the secret tunnel, with rough cement floors and dim lighting. This looked more like the set of Star Trek or NCIS. The entire back wall was one gigantic screen, dark for now, but I could tell the images would be nearly life-size when it was on. The floor was shiny black tile and reflected the blinking lights of a long computer console that ran the length of one wall.
Against the other wall…My stomach went cold. What looked like a large metal cell sat in one corner. Not exactly a cage, but pretty darn close. It had tiny barred windows near the top, fireproof walls, and thick double doors big enough to hold a horse. Or a Shifted hatchling dragon.
“What the hell?” I whispered, venturing farther into the room.
My eyes hurt from being open so wide. I could hardly believe this place sat right beneath a sleepy little beach community, and no one had any idea. Talon never mentioned anything like this. Cobalt had been right.
So, what else is he right about?
My gaze fell on the console and the myriad blinking lights that ran along the surface. A chair sat in front of a smaller screen, with a keyboard below it, and I headed in that direction. If I could get into Talon’s files, or my guardian’s email, maybe I could discover what they were doing. Or at least figure out what they wanted from me and Dante.
I’d just taken a few steps when I heard the hiss of the door behind me and realized someone was coming in.
Crap. Turning, I flung myself at the only visible hiding spot, the open door of the cell, pressing myself against the cold metal wall.
The inside of the cage was dark; only a few slivers of light filtered in from the barred windows up top, and I shivered. I couldn’t imagine being locked inside this thing, dragon or no. I’d be clawing at the walls to get out.
Peeking through the crack in the door, I saw Liam and Sarah pass briefly through my line of sight before continuing toward the back of the room. The chair squeaked as someone sat in it, and a sequence of taps and clicks soon followed. The light through the windows flickered, becoming brighter, and I realized the huge screen had come to life.
“Report,” droned a deep male voice, in a brusque tone that reminded me of my trainer. Even through the walls of the cell, it made me jump. “What is the status of Ember and Dante Hill?”
I froze, suddenly afraid to move. I couldn’t see the screen, of course.
Not unless I pulled myself up the barred windows and peeked out, and I wasn’t going risk getting caught. But even without seeing him, knew that the speaker was a dragon. Possibly one of Talon’s upper executives, though I’d never met one myself. The dragons that ran the cooperation were very tight-lipped about their whereabouts, for fear that St. George would hunt them down. Why would one of Talon’s higher-ups be talking about me and Dante? I pressed against the wall and held my breath, listening hard.
“Dante has adjusted well, sir,” Liam said, his voice emotionless even through the wall between us. “He excels at human interaction and is comfortable within the social circle he has built himself. He follows the rules and understands what is expected of him. I foresee no problems with his assimilation.”
“Good,” said the voice, though there was no praise or pleasure in his tone. “As we expected. What of his clutch-mate, Ember Hill?”
“Ember,” Liam replied, and an edge had entered his voice, “is a little more…problematic. She has made friends and is adjusting well, but…” He paused.
“She is reckless,” Sarah broke in, sounding like she couldn’t hold back any longer. “She flaunts the rules and is drawn to dangerous, risky activities. She resists our authority and constantly questions her trainer. In fact, I think Dante is the only reason she hasn’t done something drastic. He keeps her grounded, but I fear even he may not be able to control her much longer.”
The voice was silent a moment, pondering this, while I bit my lip and ordered my heart to stop racing. Was this the moment they would decide to call me back for retraining? Alone? My stomach heaved. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t go back there. Especially without Dante. I would die of loneliness and boredom.
“Has she broken any rules?” the voice finally asked, making my insides clench once more. If Dante had told them, if they knew about that night with Cobalt, I was as good as gone.
“No,” Liam said reluctantly, making me slump with relief. “Not to our knowledge. But she could be a ticking time bomb—”
“Then we will observe her more closely,” the voice interrupted.
“Ember Hill could be a danger to the organization, or she could simply be acting out from the unaccustomed freedom. It is not uncommon with hatchlings. Better that she get it out of her system now, it will let her focus on her training in the long run. It is not a viable reason to pull her out, since by your own admission, she has not broken any of the rules.”
Huh. I blinked in shock. That’s…surprisingly reasonable. Maybe Talon isn’t as bad as Cobalt lets on.
“And what of the rogue?” Sarah asked suddenly, turning my blood to ice. “It could still be hanging around. What if Ember or Dante runs into—”
“The rogue,” the voice said, overriding her, “will be taken care of. You need not concern yourself. Our agents moved in last month when he was first reported and determined that he had fled town. He will likely not return, but if you see him, or if either of your charges mentions him, you will inform us immediately, is that clear?”
Dante, I thought, as both guardians muttered consent. It was you, wasn’t it? You told them about Cobalt. That’s why he left, and why our trainers arrived early. It was you all along.
“We will speak with Ember’s trainer and see if anything can be done to focus her energy down a more productive path,” the voice went on. “Now, are there any other pressing concerns?”
