Winnie looked toward the horizon, seeing the faint glow of the rising sun. They’d be attacking at dawn. The guards would be starting their day, and would never expect the new morning’s promise.

  Looking down, Winnie could see that they were near their objective. The terrain had changed from plains to the low, rounded peaks of the Appalachian Mountains. The camp was just on the other side of this range.

  Winnie keyed the mic on her earpiece. “We’re almost there. Fifteen minutes or so. Everyone get ready.”

  Officers and sergeants replied with their readiness reports. Everyone was set when the dragons dipped lower, clearing the last of the mountains and swooping into the foothills on the other side.

  Danny pointed past her. “There it is.”

  Winnie followed his finger to the camp lights, illuminating the darkness below. She focused on the flat ground to the west where the dragons could land and drop off the Duster commandos. Fixing the image in her head, she reached out and touched the alien minds of the dragons around her.

  A few seconds later, Winnie sensed a change in her connection.

  Not an affirmation so much as a sensation of oh, I see that.

  A hundred dragons banked as one towards the ground, soaring in a broad circle before landing so lightly it seemed they barely disturbed the meadow grass across from the camp.

  Unbuckling the safety harness, Winnie slipped to the ground beside the giant creature and heard Danny’s feet strike the ground.

  He circled the dragon, ducking under the long neck to stand at Winnie’s side. Victor came over from nearby, accompanied by a security team of four Dusters assigned to protect her. The remaining commandos were already rushing the guard towers.

  “It’s time to see what these dragons can do,” Danny said.

  Winnie thought back to the devastation Brigid had shown her as a warning to use caution before considering summoning the dragons.

  A chill made her shiver.

  A shout rang out.

  Then a searchlight flared to life in one of the nearby guard towers. It turned its beam from the camp to focus on the field where they were all standing.

  Winnie squinted in the sudden brightness.

  Time was short. They had to act.

  Pointing at the towers with one hand, Winnie turned and yelled with her mind: Take them!

  As one, the dragons roared at the sky.

  The sound was like years of thunder at once.

  “So much for a surprise attack,” Danny shouted above the boom.

  Dragons leapt into the air, the downdraft from their wings buffeting Winnie and those Dusters still in the field beneath them.

  Shots rang from the towers, first one, then a flurry.

  Winnie ducked and summoned her personal shield, filling herself with magical energy as she did.

  A roar from overhead told her that one of the shots had connected.

  She could feel the burning pain from one of the dragons. Its mind turned white-hot as the creature’s night vision zeroed in on one of the towers, allowing it to see the guards plain as day.

  Winnie saw through the dragon’s eyes as it dove at the tower. Drawing in a deep breath, red-and-yellow flame flared from its mouth, swallowing the entire structure atop the tower, including the guards.

  She pulled back from the dragon’s mind and turned in time to see one of the guards, his body on fire, leap from the tower to thud in a burning heap on the ground.

  Other dragons took a cue from the first and began torching the towers.

  Soon, all were burning, lighting the camp like giant torches in the night.

  More shots rang out from the barracks. Winnie pointed to the new threat, summoning the dragons with her mind.

  They wheeled in the air, strafing the grounds around the barracks and headquarters buildings with fiery blasts.

  As shots poured from the buildings’ windows, a few of the dragons landed in the grass outside and started snatching their prey from the open windows. Sinuous necks would snake out then pull back with a struggling, screaming guard writhing in a toothy maw.

  Winnie turned away.

  She couldn’t watch what came next, feeling the sated hunger consume her.

  Winnie turned and saw the next threat. Several guards had rushed from the barracks and were now opening the gates of the high-walled pens nearby.

  Out of the darkness on the fringes of the firelight, growls and snarls signaled the coming of demons and other Fell beasts. Winnie called for help then raised a hand to blast an oncoming demon with a white-hot blast of magical energy.

  About twenty dragons suddenly dove for the ground and landed between Winnie and the onrushing horde of Fell creatures. Winnie sensed delight from the dragons at finding their most ancient enemy here in this strange battle. Only a few of the rushing Fell creatures made it past the line of dragons. The rest were roasted, chomped, or torn limb from limb by the dragons.

  The few who made it past them were hardly a problem for Victor, Winnie, Danny, and the chanter security team. A blend of bullets and magical bolts of energy met each beast.

  The rest of the fighting took about five minutes.

  And then it was over.

  There was silence as the dragons reclaimed the sky. Winnie looked around at the grounds surrounding the barbed wire fence enclosing the prisoner portion of camp.

  The guard towers were alight, with every guard dead.

  Both the barracks and the headquarters building were burning. Occasionally a dragon would peel off the formation to add an additional blast of fire to the blazing structures.

  There would be nothing left of them by the time the dragons were finished.

  A question entered her mind. A single word.

  More?

  No more, Winnie projected back. Wait.

  “That was fast,” Danny said.

  “You’re not kidding. I don’t think we needed more than twenty or thirty to take the entire camp,” Victor said.

  Duster Commandos moved in to cut the chains securing the wooden and wire gates to the central compound. Prisoners spilled from barracks, shielding their eyes from the burning guard towers while looking around at the devastation in shock.

  Winnie said, “Danny, call Morgan. Tell her to be ready to load, soon as she lands.”

  “Got it.” He turned away, talking into his mic on his way to the nearby staging ground.

  The first of the container-towing dragons landed, cargo drifting to the ground behind it.

  Morgan jumped to the ground and started calling out orders to her logistics team. Additional Duster troops ran up to provide covering fire if needed.

  It wasn’t.

  Resistance was dead.

  A crash sounded to Winnie’s left—the guard barracks collapsing inward on itself, the underlying steel structure bending under the assault of the dragons’ fire.

  That gave Winnie an idea.

  She turned her attention to the large antenna situated in the center of camp in a separate fenced-off area. She focused on the base of the antenna and the building that once housed the previously destroyed Harvester machine, used to draw magic and life energy from chanters.

  A group of dragons roared overhead then dove towards the antenna and attached building. White-hot fire blazed from their mouths, licking the structure and antenna before claiming it fully.

  Again and again, they dove until the metal tower’s supports buckled and twisted, causing the big structure and building to collapse in a resounding crash that echoed across the valley floor.

  All the while, Morgan and her logistics teams loaded the grounded containers with the freed prisoners.

  A chirp sounded in Winnie’s earpiece: Garraldi. He’d taken a team south to watch for any response from the main road.

  “We’ve got company.”

  “Where? How many?” Winnie asked, looking around.

  “A fast response force from the army base is on the way to your location. We can see them coming up the road from the ridge above camp. Looks to be about twenty armored personnel carriers. I’d guess about two hundred troops in all.”

  Winnie focused on the lead dragon circling the camp. She could see through its eyes if she concentrated, though it was disorienting to do so. She asked the dragon to turn south. As soon as it did, she could see the convoy lighting up the road.

  “Destroy,” Winnie ordered.

  A chorus of roars rang overhead. Pulling her mind from the dragon’s, Winnie looked up. The winged creatures banked in unison to the south, like a flock of enormous birds, heading to intercept the oncoming convoy.

  “I sent the dragons,” Winnie called over the radio. “If nothing else, they should slow them down long enough for us to finish evacuating everyone.”

  “We need another five minutes at least to get the final ones loaded,” said Morgan over the channel. “There are more people here than we anticipated, and in worse shape. A lot of them need help just walking.”

  “I’ll see what we can do,” Winnie said. “But we don’t have long.”

  Maria chimed in. “I can lend a hand. My assault force has no targets here. The dragons took care of everything. We can help the prisoners who can’t walk reach the containers.”

  Winnie listened as others delivered their reports, her mind half on the lead dragon overhead. Such a magnificent creature deserved a name. She connected just as it dove to lead the attack on the convoy below.

  Magical fire spewed outward, enveloping the lead vehicle. Despite the armor on the personnel carrier, the fire penetrated straight to the interior.

  The vehicle veered from the road and into a ditch, fire billowing from the breaches in its armored shell.

  Winnie flinched as bullets ripped into the dragon’s scaled hide.

  The creature screamed then swooped upward to flee the bullets whizzing from vehicles behind the one on fire.

  The other dragons attacked, defending their leader.

  Winnie felt a surge of satisfaction from the dragon’s mind as it banked around and saw all twenty armored personnel carriers ablaze, their burning passenger compartments opening as the soldiers inside sought escape.

  But there was nowhere to run.

  Dragons peeled out of the sky, dipping their long necks down and grabbing the soldiers as they ran from the burning wrecks lining the road.

  Winnie withdrew when the lead dragon swooped down to grab a human morsel from the cracked open shells below.

  She didn’t want to share that particular experience.

  “Wow,” Garraldi said over the radio channel. “Total destruction in seconds. We’re all clear to the south. Morgan, you can relax a little.”

  More dragons took off from the evacuation zone, each towing two or three massive shipping containers behind them. Winnie guessed more than half had already left for Promise Point with their precious cargo.

  Winnie felt a tugging on her mind—the lead dragon returning from the attack. She could feel its sated appetite.

  Come. We leave soon, Winnie broadcast back to the creature.

  “I’ve called the dragons,” Winnie said to Victor and Danny. “As soon as the final prisoners are evacuated, we can head back. All troops to the landing zone.”

  Danny checked his watch. “We’re ahead of schedule despite the extra prisoners. That’s good.”

  Over at the evacuation zone, the last of the dragons took off. The familiar blue glow flared up nearby as Bullock, Frannie, and Parnell opened portals to take the remainder of the rescued prisoners back to Promise Point.

  They should be able to hold open the magical doorways long enough to get the final evacuees through.

  The first of the returning dragons landed nearby, awaiting their riders. Winnie went to inspect the lead dragon’s wounds. Blood streamed down its side.

  Winnie didn’t possess much in the way of healing ability, but she drew in magic from around her and touched those wounds she could reach. Closing her eyes, she channeled the energy into the massive beast, attempting to ease its pain and quell the bleeding.

  The dragon sighed.

  Winnie felt relief and gratitude flowing back to her.

  She patted the dragon on its long neck. It turned its head, brushing its snout gently against Winnie’s shoulder. It was amazing how quickly the dragon turned from being a nearly perfect weapon of war to this fawning, friendly creature.

  She laid a hand on the dragon’s head and scratched the ridge above its eyes.

  “Thank you, my friend,” Winnie whispered. “Now let’s go home.”

  Chapter 14

  Winnie climbed down from the dragon’s back and then helped Danny remove the dragon’s leather harness so it could fly freely again. Her hands passed over the scars in the beast’s scaly hide. Her healing had closed most of them and the dragon’s regenerative capabilities were apparently taking care of the rest. It looked like the dragon would recover in full within a few days.

  She’d pushed the mount during the return flight, urging her dragon to fly at top speed to Promise Point ahead of the flock of towing dragons. She arrived hours ahead of schedule along with the rest of the command team. There was a lot to discuss following the raid on the camp.

  Part of her wanted to take a long bath and decompress. The mission’s stress and the horror at the voracious effectiveness of the dragons against human targets, even those armed with modern weapons, was still on her like a stink.

  At one point Winnie could almost taste what the dragons sensed as they consumed the soldiers guarding the prison camp or responding from the nearby base.

  “Winnie, you should take some time to wash up. Relax a bit,” Danny suggested, maybe able to see inside her battered soul. Despite all the things pulling them apart, he still knew her better than anyone.

  “Maybe later,” Winnie replied. “I want to hold a debrief with the command team and prepare the Point staff for additional refugees. Morgan thinks the camp held ten to fifteen percent more than we expected. And they’re in worse shape than we thought. That’s all going to tax our immediate resources.”

  “I’m not arguing with that,” Danny said. “But you still have time to clean up and get something to eat before we have to meet with Victor and the others. Morgan came back through the portal so she’s had hours to prepare.”

  Winnie hesitated. Those were excellent arguments.

  “I tell you what: I’ll go and see what she’s already done, then I’ll come and tell you. In the meantime, take a bath.”

  Danny smiled and Winnie wanted to listen.

  She thought about soaking in one of the large communal baths. They had showers with hot and cold running water and the tubs, also heated, were like tiny swimming pools. It would be good to relax and be able to sort out the things she’d seen.

  Winnie was still nursing a strange brew of satisfaction and revulsion from the raid. While she didn’t wish needless agony on anyone, part of her wanted to see the Red Legs and their army supporters suffer. It was the war between these two sides that triggered her angst. She had to sort it all before they planned their next steps.

  “All right,” Winnie conceded. “I’ll try and wash some of the grime off me from the flight. You go and see what help Morgan needs prepping for the arrival of our refugees.”

  Danny smiled and pulled her close for a hug.

  It felt awkward, though Winnie didn’t know why.

  She gently pushed him away.

  “I’ll be fine. Come find me after I’m finished. I’ll be in our room. We’ll call a meeting of the command team in an hour. That should give the others a chance to clean up and gather their thoughts as well.”

  “Got it,” Danny said.

  He leaned in for a kiss but she dodged it.

  “I’m gross. Later.”

  Winnie picked up the leather riding harness from the ground, and walked into the cave entrance. An attendant took the harness to hang on the racks as she entered. Winnie was exhausted, mentally and physically. They’d all been up for over twenty-four hours, with what felt like a full day left before she could sleep.

  But maybe that was good. Who knew what her dreams might bring.

  Winnie kept replaying the sights and sounds she’d experienced both through her own senses and her link to the dragons. She tried to banish the images, sounds, and smells that kept coming her way, but they refused to yield.

  Maybe the bath would help.

  An hour later, freshly dressed, Winnie entered the command center. The techs turned and applauded. They’d watched the attack on the wall of windows.

  She gave them an uncomfortable smile then sat, squirming a bit as she took her seat. Her body was clean but her soul still felt soiled.

  Winnie scanned the table. Did they feel any of what she was feeling? Victor had his ear to Morgan. Garraldi and Maria were likewise engaged. Even Danny, her mother, and Tris were talking as though nothing was wrong.

  In this, Winnie was alone.

  She cleared her throat.

  The chatting stopped and everyone turned toward her.

  She used to look forward to these round table meetings with her friends, but today the last thing she wanted was to relive the attack.

  “Garraldi,” Winnie said. “Why don’t you go first. Any casualties?”

  “A few injuries. Mostly from stray bullets, guards that got a couple of lucky hits before the dragons showed ‘em whose boss. No dead. I think everyone will recover fully in time.”

  “I checked in on them when we got back,” Maria added. “They were evacuated via the portals so they’ve had several hours of treatment and recovery. All seem in good spirits. It might be a good idea for you to stop by the infirmary when you get a chance. I think it’d mean a lot to them.”

  “I will.” Winnie tapped a note in her phone then looked up. “Morgan, what about preparations for the new arrivals?”

  “I checked just before the meeting. The return flight is going faster than expected, even towing full containers. They should be here in two or three hours. I’ve got everyone resting up because once they land, it’s going to be a long night.”

  “And the prisoners are in worse shape than we expected?”