Dragons vs. Drones Page 18

  She snorted. “I made them for three years. Do you?”

  “Only in video games.” He noticed Dree’s confused look. “Never mind.”

  They flew north over the mountains, the setting sun glowing on the western horizon, cresting the peaks with gold. It was a calm night, and the few clouds that dotted the sky seemed to hang there like orange blossoms. Bird calls filled the air.

  “It’s a beautiful land,” Marcus commented.

  “It is,” Dree agreed. “My people forgot about that. They just saw resources to be stolen.”

  “They aren’t alone in that,” Marcus replied, thinking of his home.

  They flew for about fifteen minutes when Marcus suddenly looked down and gasped. Dree had said he would know the Gully when he saw it, and she was definitely right.

  It was a canyon, but it was more spectacular than anything he had ever seen. Jack had taken him to the Grand Canyon when he was younger, and he had stared out in absolute wonder. The Gully made the Grand Canyon look like a crack in the sidewalk. It was at least ten times larger, stretching many miles across and probably five miles deep, splitting the mountain range in two. A river ran far below, looking tiny in the distance. The canyon walls were steep and jagged and pockmarked with endless nooks and ledges, like a honeycomb. It was a staggering thing to behold, and Marcus just stared at it, speechless.

  “I told you,” Dree said. “I remember when Lourdvang first took me here.”

  “It’s so . . . big.”

  She laughed. “Yeah. That river down there is huge, if you can believe it.”

  “I can’t,” Marcus said. “Let’s check it out—”

  He stopped as something caught his eye. There, approaching rapidly from the city, were two Trackers, followed by a white Destroyer. They were speeding toward them in an arrow point. “Uh-oh.”

  Dree saw them immediately. “Baby Hybrid . . . dive!”

  The hybrid instantly dove into the canyon, falling beneath the surface and streaking down the mile-high walls toward the river. The sand-hued rock sped past in a blur, and Dree and Marcus held on tightly as they plummeted downward.

  “Baby Hybrid, straighten out,” Dree ordered, leveling them off.

  Marcus looked up and saw the three drones drop into the canyon overhead.

  “We still have company.”

  “Go!” Dree ordered, and Baby Hybrid leapt forward, racing through the canyon.

  The drones weren’t taking any chances this time. They opened fire.

  Marcus shouted in terror as bullets erupted into the river and shoreline behind them, the sound echoing through the canyon. Baby Hybrid shot forward at full speed, right over the turbulent river that crashed against the rocks in massive white-water swells that were at least ten feet high. Baby Hybrid weaved around one, avoiding the violent wave.

  Marcus looked back and saw the drones falling behind—the hybrid was faster.

  “I think we’re losing them—”

  The words were barely out of his mouth when two more Trackers dropped into the canyon in front of them, moving fast. They opened fire, and the river erupted with twin streams of machine gun fire that raced toward Baby Hybrid.

  “Hold on!” Dree screamed. “Baby Hybrid . . . barrel roll!”

  The hybrid launched into a desperate spin, climbing at the same time. The wings had to adjust just slightly to create the needed torque, but it was even more jarring than Lourdvang’s barrel roll. Marcus barely held on, his fingers slipping against one another.

  “Fire!” Dree shouted.

  Baby Hybrid opened fire, scattering the drones and blowing part of the sheer canyon wall to rubble. They kept climbing for the surface, but the drones turned quickly, joining the other three. Marcus wondered how there could be more of them. He realized that the portal must have remained open—which meant there could be an endless number of drones arriving in Dracone if they didn’t close it soon.

  All five drones were firing now, and Dree had Baby Hybrid dancing across the sky, spinning and diving and twisting to avoid the constant barrage. They were just starting to pull away again when they saw two more drones approaching from the city.

  “We’re in trouble,” Dree said.

  Baby Hybrid veered left, avoiding another machine gun barrage, and just as the five drones were closing in, Marcus heard a terrible noise rise up from beneath them. Dree and Marcus both peered over the edge of the hybrid, and Dree’s eyes widened.

  “It can’t be,” she whispered.

  There, streaming out of the canyon walls, were at least thirty golden dragons, glimmering in the dying light.

  Chapter

  24

  The horde of Sages collided with the drones, ten of them converging on one and bathing it in a shimmering flame that leapt out like leaves from an autumn maple. The fire completely enveloped the Tracker and was followed soon after by a flurry of teeth and claws tearing into the armor and ripping the drone apart. Marcus knew immediately there would be no salvaging that drone: torn pieces—still fizzling electric blue—dropped into the river and disappeared.

  For a moment he thought the dragons might wipe the drones out, but that hope was dashed the instant the drones wheeled around into a new formation—still four strong and bristling with weapons. They opened fire and downed one of the dragons in seconds.

  The other Sages cried out in agony as they watched their companion plummet into the river, its wings nothing but tattered golden shreds. It was as if the other dragons felt the bullets themselves, and the cries filled Marcus and Dree with pain, so much so that they had to look away as the dragon hit the water. When the dragons attacked the drones again, it was with an even more terrible rage.

  “We need to help,” Dree said. “Baby Hybrid . . . turn around and fire!”

  Baby Hybrid did as it was told, and the phalanx of drones scattered again, zooming in all directions through the enormous cavern. The dragons broke into units as well: Five of them chased each drone, spraying fire and roaring ceaselessly as they wheeled after the faster drones. Dree was absolutely astounded to see so many Sages still alive, and this close to the city. It seemed the Gully was their last great refuge, since the hunters could never pull a carcass from its deep walls. But even more surprising was the Sages’ ferocity. Dree had heard that they were pacifists. Some legends even said they couldn’t breathe fire.

  Obviously they made an exception for the drones.

  Dree kept Baby Hybrid racing after one Tracker in particular, firing constantly. Marcus barely held on to her waist as they dove and corkscrewed after the drone, shredding the cliff walls and covering the air with clouds of dust. They heard more terrible screams and saw two dead dragons drop into the river, sending up massive waves that lapped up over the shores. The air was full of hideous, anguished cries.

  Marcus wanted to cover his ears, but he had to keep his arms wrapped around Dree.

  “Dive!” Dree shouted, sending them angling toward the river. “Fire!”

  The drone easily dodged the machine gun fire—Baby Hybrid was still too slow to respond to verbal commands. Meanwhile Sages were starting to fall everywhere, the drones moving too quickly for them to sink their claws and teeth into. Their fire was impressive, but it wasn’t enough to down the armor-plated drones, and their guns were merciless. One dragon after another fell to its death.

  Dree slammed her fist on the steel. “We’re losing. Baby Hybrid, turn—”

  “Wait,” Marcus cut in. “We need to try something else.”

  “What do you mean?”

  They both ducked as a drone whizzed overhead, dragons close behind.

  “Do you tell Lourdvang how to fly?”

  Dree turned and scowled. “Of course not.”

  “Then stop telling her,” Marcus said. “Baby Hybrid . . . destroy the drones!”

  Baby Hybrid immediately
veered left, even before Dree saw the Tracker coming at them from above. The drone streaked past, and Baby Hybrid swept into a loop, causing both Dree and Marcus to scream as the distant canyon floor raced over their heads. They were still busy screaming when Baby Hybrid opened fire, hitting the drone’s left wing as it tried to climb again. The bullets ripped into the metal, tearing it clean off. The drone wobbled and then flew straight into the side of the cliff, exploding in a massive fireball.

  The dragons roared their approval and continued pursuing the remaining three drones.

  Dree looked at Marcus. “Did you see that?”

  “Yeah,” he whispered.

  Baby Hybrid turned after another Tracker, still slow to change directions but capable of incredible acceleration. The drone climbed skyward, and Baby Hybrid pursued it, clearing the flock of chasing golden dragons and closing in fast.

  “We should have been doing this all along—” Marcus started.

  He didn’t get a chance to finish. The drone suddenly veered right, trying to escape, and Baby Hybrid followed in the fastest way possible—a quick barrel roll. Marcus wasn’t ready. The g-forces ripped his hands from Dree’s waist and sent him flying off of Baby Hybrid’s back, his arms flailing desperately as he dropped out of the sky. Dree screamed and tried to grab his arm, but she was too late.

  It was strange sensation, falling backward as the cold wind buffeted him while dragons and drones raced across the sky shooting bullets and flames at one another. It was so surreal that Marcus almost forgot to be scared, though he knew he was about a mile up and falling fast. He wouldn’t even know when he hit the ground. Maybe that was better.

  He saw Dree turning Baby Hybrid overhead, but she was already so far away. A drone raced past his head in a flash. Suddenly, something strong caught his shirt, instantly yanking him upward. He shouted and looked up to see beautiful golden scales glistening in the sun. One of the dragons had caught him.

  “Hang on!” it rumbled, turning with its companions to chase the drones.

  Marcus looked around and saw nothing to hold on to, so he just hugged himself.

  Around them, the remaining three drones were still gunning down dragons. The Destroyer was particularly deadly: its machine guns were more powerful and its armor plating seemed almost impervious to the dragons’ claws. At least ten of them had been killed already. Dree saw Marcus dangling from one of the dragon’s legs and sent Baby Hybrid after one of the drones instead, relieved. For a second she had thought she’d lost him.

  “Baby Hybrid,” she ordered. “Dive and then loop, firing as you do.”

  Dree was playing a hunch now—the drones seemed to be paying a lot more attention to the hybrid after it had gunned down one of their own. She was counting on it.

  Baby Hybrid launched into a dramatic dive, heading straight toward the river. Dree felt her legs slipping off the hybrid and held on tightly. The river grew ever larger.

  “Now!” she screamed.

  Baby Hybrid suddenly turned into a sharp loop, firing both guns. Her hunch paid off: They caught the Tracker on their tail head-on, and it exploded as the bullets pierced right through its blazing red eye. Baby Hybrid flew through the explosion, and Dree felt the flames stream past. If she hadn’t been immune to them, she would have been dead.

  The remaining two drones seemed to slow down for a moment, as if surveying the damage and their odds of victory. Marcus decided to use the advantage. As the dragon holding him flew over one of the drones, preparing to dive, Marcus looked up.

  “Drop me!” he shouted.

  “What?”

  “Do it!”

  The dragon snorted and let go, and Marcus dropped ten feet onto the back of the Destroyer, fumbling and grabbing onto the white steel plating. He pulled himself forward, looking for an access panel. The wind was screaming past him as the drone picked up speed again, firing on a group of dragons. One of them went down, crying out as it fell.

  He had to hurry. Marcus spotted an access plate and popped it open, his eyes falling on an array of computer boards, wires, and switches.

  He reached out to rip the wires when the drone veered up, almost pitching him off its back. It began to spin, and he felt his legs flying out as he just barely held on to the access panel, slipping ever so slightly. The world spun around him in a dizzying blur.

  “Hold . . . still,” he managed, reaching for the wires.

  The drone finally turned again to fire on a dragon, and that gave Marcus the chance he needed. He ripped the wires and circuit board clean out, shorting the drone instantly. Marcus realized the problem with his plan just as the drone started to fall.

  “Not again,” he whispered.

  The huge Destroyer dropped fast, speeding toward the canyon floor. Marcus let go instantly, floating off and trying to make himself big.

  “Anyone?” he shouted, looking around desperately.

  The dragons were forming together way above him, watching as the last drone suddenly took off out of the canyon, obviously retreating for the moment.

  The ground was approaching fast.

  “Are you ever not falling?” a familiar voice called, and he turned to see Dree racing down beside him, grinning and reaching out for his arm. He grabbed her hand, and she pulled him in as Baby Hybrid did a graceful curve upward, heading for the dragons.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “Don’t mention it,” she replied. “I owed you one anyway.”

  “The drones retreated, I see.”

  “Right after you took yours out. That was really dumb, by the way.”

  Marcus laughed. “I agree.”

  They slowed down in front of the group of dragons, and one of them gestured toward the canyon ledge. They all set down there, with many of the Sages inspecting one another’s injuries. Almost all of them had holes in their wings or bloody wounds. But as Marcus and Dree watched, they began to heal each other with gentle, rippling copper flames that seemed to weld the scales and wings back together.

  “Greetings,” a male dragon said. “So you’ve found us.”

  Dree flushed. “And led the drones right to you.”

  The dragon shook his head. “They would have found us eventually. They kill every other dragon, and we knew it wouldn’t be long before they found our home. Two of our kind were already killed as they hunted for deer. We wanted our vengeance. For machines, there is no mercy. After all, they give none.”

  Marcus looked up at the Sage, whose eyes were a tired opal and blue, his body smaller than Lourdvang’s but still muscled. His scales had obviously been weathered by many years and looked as faded as Marcus’s watch. But even as Marcus stared up at the dragon, he felt a sense of peace flood through him. Instantly his fears and anxiety ebbed.

  “Is this all that’s left of your kind?” Dree asked, looking over the group of dragons.

  “I do not know,” he said sadly. “There may be Sages elsewhere. But of my clan, once a hundred and fifty strong, there are now these eighteen of us. In time I fear there shall be none, even with this new weapon you ride upon.”

  “What’s your name?” Dree asked.

  The dragon looked at her. “Nolong. Why?”

  Dree smiled. “Vero says hello.”

  Nolong’s blue eyes widened. “You spoke with Vero?”

  “She was hoping you were still alive.”

  Nolong looked to the east, frowning. “It has been many years since I last saw her.”

  “We know,” Marcus said. “But she thinks of you anyway.”

  “It is nice to know she has not forgotten. Alas, such concerns are far from my mind. For the moment, I must figure out how to keep my clan alive.”

  “There’s only one chance,” Dree said. “We’re going after the Egg right now, but Erdath is also attempting to rally all the dragon clans together.”

  Nolong sighed. “
A difficult task. Maybe impossible.”

  “It’s also our only chance to defeat the drones,” Marcus said. “You can be sure they’ll have reinforcements.”

  Nolong seemed to consider this. “If we have one skill, it’s speaking to other brethren. I will travel to all the clans I know and try to convince them to help. Perhaps I can rally them together. We have hid in this gully for long enough, letting our brothers and sisters die at the hands of dragon hunters and now these machines. It is time to fight back.”

  He looked at them both.

  “There is something in the two of you,” he said thoughtfully. “A power that I have not seen in many years. I do not know what it is, but do not be afraid to let it grow. I suspect you two will have a large part to play in this war, and it may not be the one you think.”

  He turned and left them, returning to his clan. Marcus tried to make sense of Nolong’s words.

  He turned to Dree, who looked equally puzzled.

  “What now?” Marcus asked.

  “We go break into the most heavily fortified place in Dracone and steal a priceless artifact.”

  Marcus sighed. “Perfect.”

  Chapter

  25

  Baby Hybrid descended onto the side of their chosen mountain, settling in an alcove covered with scraggly trees and shrubs. It overlooked the city below, which was lit with thousands of torches like lightning bugs in the plains. Dracone was quite beautiful from up there—bright and welcoming. But Dree knew it was also crawling with soldiers, and it was going to be very difficult to get into the palace, never mind to get out again.

  Marcus’s mind was elsewhere. He was finally returning to the city, and he was increasingly convinced that he would find his father somewhere within it. He didn’t know what his father’s part in all this was, but he knew the clues to his disappearance were everywhere. All Marcus could think about was seeing his father again. Of bringing him home.

  Did Marcus even want to go home, though? He stole a glance at Dree, lit only by the faint moonlight shimmering off the mountain. He thought about her, and about what it felt like to ride on the back of a dragon. Did he really want to go back to Arlington?