Читать книгу Inferno - Julie Kagawa - Страница 14

Riley

“Where are they?”

Ouroboros tilted his head slightly. I suspected that if he’d been in human form he would’ve arched an eyebrow. What would he look like in human form—if he even had a human form? Maybe he’d been out here so long, away from everyone except the natives who worshiped him, that he hadn’t Shifted in the three hundred years he’d been out of Talon.

Realizing that the self-proclaimed god of the jungle probably wouldn’t appreciate having answers demanded of him by some cocky Juvenile dragon, I hurried on. “I mean, I’ve searched for those facilities for years, but everything I’ve found has been a dead end or a trap. Talon has hidden them so well that if I wasn’t part of the Basilisk branch myself, I would’ve thought they didn’t exist.”

“Oh, they exist,” Ouroboros said. “And the reason you haven’t been able to find them is because you weren’t looking in the right places. That, and the location is very difficult to get to. The facilities are located on a privately owned, unnamed island.”

“An island,” I breathed. Of course, why hadn’t I thought of that before? A privately owned island was isolated, hard to reach and cut off from the rest of the world: the perfect place to hide a large number of captive female dragons.

“Yes.” Ouroboros nodded. “Talon owns the island, of course, so no one is allowed to set foot on it. Not that anyone would attempt it. Because here is the interesting part. The island is located a few hundred miles east of the Caribbean, in the area known to humans as the Bermuda Triangle.”

“The...Bermuda Triangle?” I choked out.

“Indeed. That is where you’ll find Talon’s breeding facilities, ex-Agent Cobalt. Though getting to it is going to be a challenge. It won’t be like breaking into a single office building. You must circumvent the security of an entire island. And if you somehow manage to get to the breeders, how will you get them out again? How will you even get them off the island?” Ouroboros folded his claws in front of him, regarding me with appraising red eyes. “If you can accomplish this, young Basilisk, you will have pulled off what dozens of rogues around the world could only dream of.” One corner of that narrow maw pulled into a smirk. “As such, I myself have very little hope that any of you will survive. But I will wait, and see what happens. Perhaps you will surprise me.”

He chuckled and rose to his feet, engulfing everything in his shadow. “Well,” he stated, “I believe our business is at an end. It has been entertaining, if nothing else.” He paused, and the subtle warning that crept into his voice made my stomach writhe in fear. “Of course, it goes without saying that you will not mention my name, or my location, to anyone. What transpired here does not leave this jungle.” His red eyes narrowed, glittering coldly, and I resisted the urge to shrink into the temple floor as the Wyrm loomed over us like a Titan. A massive, unstoppable force of nature. “I am placing a great deal of trust that you will keep this meeting strictly confidential,” he rumbled, making tremors ripple through the ground. “But if word that I am alive does happen to reach the organization, do not believe that I won’t find you. And if that happens, you and everyone who has ever known you will be consumed, until there is no one left who remembers your name.

“Ember Hill.” Ouroboros glanced at the red hatchling, who met his gaze calmly despite the subtle trembling in her wings. “Daughter of the Elder Wyrm. I am pleased that we could meet face-to-face. But know this—I see much of her in you, and that can be both a blessing and a curse. Choose your path wisely—it would be a shame to kill you before you reach your full potential.”

Ember raised her chin, standing tall as she faced the giant Wyrm. “Are you sure you won’t join us, Ouroboros?” she asked. “The war is going to affect everyone, even you, whether you like it or not. Stand with us. This could be your chance to finally strike back against Talon and the Elder Wyrm.”

He snorted a laugh and began walking away, back toward the maze of ruined stone and crumbling towers. Pebbles bounced and vibrations ran up my legs as Ouroboros drew away, his long tail swaying behind him. “I have been patient for three hundred years,” he said without looking back. “I can be patient awhile longer. Go to the island. Free the breeder females, if you can. We will see if you are successful, or if Talon proves to be too much for you to handle, after all. Perhaps you will die, and Talon will continue their plans unopposed. Maybe all of this will have been for nothing.”

He turned a corner, sliding behind stone walls and jungle foliage, until only his tail was left. His final words echoed as the tail disappeared, and the ancient Wyrm vanished back into legend and rumor.

“But maybe not.”