Chapter 7 #2
"And it's not permanent," Rhodes added, his voice carrying that clinical tone he used when explaining complicated matters. "As long as Asrael lives, his power remains. Those we can't treat will stay under his control, until we end him."
I watched as Sloane's arm tightened around Saige's waist, his protective instinct visible in every tense line of his body. The weight of what we were attempting seemed to settle over our group like a heavy blanket.
"So we have to be strategic," Talon mused, his voice uncharacteristically serious. "Choose carefully which dragons we free first."
I watched as Sloane's expression darkened, his jaw clenching in that way that reminded me so much of Rhodes when he was about to argue a point.
"No," he said firmly. "We can't afford to be selective. The execution is in three hours, and we need every ally we can get. One shot—that's all we have."
He wasn't wrong. The weight of that truth settled heavily in my chest, mixing with the already tumultuous emotions swirling there. We'd spent years planning this, and now everything hinged on perfect timing and execution.
"What about expanding the reach?" Saige suddenly asked, her green eyes lighting up with inspiration. "If we could somehow spread the vapor over a wider area—"
"We'd need significant wind power," I cut in, explaining what Rhodes and I had discovered during our experiments. "But even then, spreading it out doesn't increase the concentration. It actually dilutes it, making it less effective."
Talon's voice echoed in my head. Less effective means more dead dragons, brother.
I gave him a slight nod, acknowledging the grim reality of his observation.
"Heat," Sloane said suddenly, his eyes narrowing. "How does the vapor react to heat?"
Rhodes stepped forward, his pristine suit rustling in the breeze.
"That's actually how we concentrate it," he explained, his voice taking on that professor-like tone I'd grown accustomed to during our research.
"We've already pushed it to the highest temperatures we could generate in the lab.
Any hotter and the compound becomes unstable. "
"What kind of heat source did you use?" Saige asked, her hand absently rubbing her swollen belly.
I exchanged a look with Rhodes, remembering the countless failed attempts, the explosions, and the singed eyebrows, not to mention that one particularly memorable incident that had left us both smelling like burnt sugar for a week.
"Everything from standard burners to demon fire," Rhodes replied.
"But the problem was always the time it took from base temp to inferno," Talon pointed out. "I mean, the only fire we haven't tried would be…"
"Dragon fire?" Sloane interrupted, his ice-blue eyes suddenly intense. "A dragon's fire is the hottest known fire source recorded."
"That just might work,” Ashland replied, then turned to Rhodes. “Why didn’t we think of that?”
Rhodes rolled his eyes. “Oh gee, maybe because we were banished and couldn’t just waltz over here to collect some fire from some creatures that everyone was led to believe were extinct?”
Saige took a step toward Ash, effectively cutting their banter and bringing the moment back to where it needed to be. Positive. Focused. "You created a miracle! We just need to figure out how we can maximize the amount we have to ensure a victory here today."
Despite his mask, she still smiled at him. Her energy and excitement over our creation were contagious, and that damned mask wasn't going to protect him from her genuine demeanor.
Sloane clapped, drawing everyone's attention. "What about multiple dragons? Concentrated fire from multiple sources?"
I felt my pulse quicken as the implications hit me. We'd never considered combining heat sources, too focused on finding a single, controllable source.
A wicked grin spread across my face. "That's it, Rhodes!
We need to have five dragons, and they'll have to start firing at set intervals to maintain the temperature where we need it to be.
We need to multiply this vial by five times, that way we'll have a little extra if we need it during the battle. "
"We need a cauldron. I saw one in the village. I'll go get it!”
“Think again, Red. You’re not going anywhere alone. I’ll come with you—”
Saige cut him off. “You have more important things to do. I can handle getting a cauldron!”
“Absolutely not.” Sloane pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers.
“I’ll go with her,” Misha said, stepping next to the couple as they stared each other down.
It was all I could do not to smile at their dynamic; the stubborn glint in each of their eyes as they stared at each other reminded me so much of Palmer.
Realizing that, it felt as though someone was physically squeezing my heart within my chest.
Sloane’s icy blue eyes snapped to Misha’s and narrowed as Saige clapped once in triumph. “See, Sloaney? I have an escort.”
He slowly looked down at her and huffed, but I saw the way his shoulders dropped. “Fine. I have to go get some backup anyway.” Abruptly, he faced Misha as though he hadn’t just been melted by his woman. “You don’t let her out of your sight.”
“Understood,” Misha replied as he patted his thigh, showing off his arsenal of blades.
She’d be completely safe. I’d just met the woman, but I already knew I’d kill for her, any one of us would.
She was too important to the realm, too critical for whatever was shifting here.
She was the catalyst. Sloane must’ve sensed Misha’s loyalty because he nodded.
Both were men of few words, but sometimes they just weren’t needed.
“Excellent!” Saige placed both of her hands on her mate’s chest and rose on her toes to plant a kiss on the grumpy dragon’s cheek.
He blushed. My heart panged again with thoughts of Palmer.
Ugh. I wondered where she was right at that moment.
Did she think about me at all, or had it really meant nothing?
“Come on, Misha!” Saige turned and then shouted over her shoulder at the rest of our group, “Try to get an area cleared out for when we get back! "
"I'll be back," Sloane announced, and I watched over my shoulder as he took off in a dead sprint toward a small opening in the trees.
In the blink of an eye, a massive dragon exploded into existence and took to the skies.
His scales, deeper than the darkest night, rippled with the glow of molten fire pulsing beneath them.
His dual nature, dragon and pyro mage, coexisted together and amplified his power.
He was majestic as fuck and I stared wide eyed as his enormous form disappeared into the clouds as he went to gather the other dragons we'd need.
"Holy fuckin' shit," I whispered, transfixed by what I'd just witnessed.
Talon stood next to me, nodding in awe. "Bro is badass."
"We need to clear this area," Rhodes said, gesturing to the space around the oak tree. "Five dragons are going to need room to maneuver."
Talon cracked his knuckles, a manic grin spreading across his face. "Finally, something I can smash."
‘Try not to enjoy it too much, brother,’ I projected into his mind, though I couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm.
We spread out, working to create a suitable space. Ash and I made quick work of the larger debris, while Rhodes calculated the precise diameter we'd need for the dragons to form an effective circle around the cauldron.
"The timing will need to be perfect," Ash said as he helped me move a fallen log. "One dragon out of sync could ruin the whole batch."
I nodded, wiping sweat from my brow, careful not to smear the paint on my face. "Rhodes and I will coordinate the intervals. We've done enough experiments to know exactly when the compound starts to destabilize."
The sound of laughter interrupted our discussion, and we turned to see Saige and Misha. He had an enormous cast-iron cauldron in his hands, and Saige was animatedly explaining something to him when she tripped on a tree root.
Talon was there in a flash, catching her before falling was even a real possibility. "Milady, please allow me to help. Gods forbid your dragon man returns to find you in this state." She took his hand, and he grabbed his chest dramatically. "He'd roast us like demon kabobs!"
Saige laughed breathlessly and placed a hand against her chest, which caused Talon to panic further, his face rapidly losing color. He held a finger over her lips. "Shhh, milady. None of that. You have to conserve your air."
Wide green eyes met mine as she nodded, bewildered by my brother's antics. I just shrugged. "I mean, he is kind of right."
"Now then, milady, just sit down right here on this log.
We'll do the rest!" Talon guided her to the log in question and blinked at her expectantly until she finally lowered herself down.
Grinning ear to ear, he clapped once and went back to his tasks, though he kept throwing looks over his shoulder at the poor woman.
For some reason, this brought Palmer to life in my head once again, and I found myself wondering what she would've done to Talon if she were in Saige's position.
I had to stifle a laugh when I imagined the absolute brawl that would've ensued over any one of us trying to boss her around…
but now was not the time for such daydreams.
I examined the cauldron as Misha set it down in the center of our cleared space.
The metal was thick and marked with ancient runes that seemed to pulse with latent magic.
"This is perfect," I said, running my fingers along the symbols.
"These enhancement runes will help contain and focus the energy. "
A shadow passed overhead, and we looked up to see Sloane returning with four other dragons. As they landed, the ground trembled beneath their weight. I felt a flutter of excitement in my chest. This could work. This had to work.
The pieces were falling into place, but as I helped position the cauldron, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were racing against more than just time.