Page 70 of A Dagger of Twisted Starlight

Claire’s voice was steady. She wore a teal robe, the hood down, the logo of her magic shop stitched onto her chest. “I’ve verified the location of the lab,” she began, her eyes sweeping over each of us. “It’s in a heavily fortified area, deep within the mountains. The entrance is concealed, likely protected bypowerful wards and traps. We’ll need to be smart about how we approach this.”

Warrick leaned forward, his brow furrowed. “Do we have any idea what kind of defenses we’re up against? Besides the wards?”

Claire nodded. “From what I’ve gathered, it’s not just magical defenses. They’ve got physical security as well—Shades for sure, and who knows what else. This isn’t going to be easy.”

Dawn crossed her arms, her expression hardening. “We’ve faced worse. What’s the plan to get past all that?”

Claire pulled out a map, laying it on the coffee table. “Good question, babe. We’re going to need to divide and conquer. The lab itself is located at the base of a mountain, but the entrance is through a series of tunnels that wind down from the top. We’ll split into teams. One group will create a diversion at the base, drawing out their forces, while the other team infiltrates from above. We need to move quickly and efficiently. And you guys would need to wear your dragon-scale armor.”

I nodded, feeling a dash of excitement at the thought of putting on the armor. It had been a while. The last time I wore it was for our attack on the rogue vampire queen. It was armor that had been made from scales shed in our dragon forms, giving us the same defensive power in our squishy human skins.

Caleb, who had been quiet up until now, spoke up. “What about the wards? If they’ve got anti-dragon measures in place, we’ll be sitting ducks if we go in unprepared.”

Claire nodded. “That’s where the dragon-scale armor comes in. I’ve been working on enhancing it with additional protection spells. It should help neutralize the effects ofthe Dragonsbane, at least long enough for us to get inside. But we’ll need to be careful—there’s no guarantee it’ll hold against everything they’ve got.”

Damien, who had been pacing near the window, stopped and turned to face us. “We’ll need to be ready for anything. This is their stronghold. They’re not going to let us waltz in and take what we want,” he said.

“And what about once we’re inside? What’s the plan for retrieving the dagger?” Blake asked.

Claire’s gaze softened as she looked at Blake. “We’ll need to locate the central chamber, where they’re likely keeping the starlight dagger. It’s going to be heavily guarded, so we’ll have to time our attack perfectly. If we can get in, retrieve the dagger, and get out before they know what hit them, we’ll have the upper hand.”

“Easier said than done,” Maddox muttered, but there was a glint of determination in his eyes.

Warrick tapped his finger on the map, tracing the path from the entrance to the lab. “We’ll need to be careful with our timing. If one group is delayed, it could throw the entire plan off.”

“I’ll be leading the infiltration team,” Claire said, her tone leaving no room for argument. “Warrick, Dawn, and Xavier, you’ll be with me. Damien and Robby, you’ll lead the diversion at the base. Caleb and Maddox will back you up.”

“What about me?” Blake asked, his voice steady despite the tension in the room.

Claire hesitated, glancing at me. “Blake’s with me,” I said.

Blake nodded, his expression resolute. “I’m ready.”

“There’s more I found out,” Claire said. “They’ve been running some fucked-up experiments in there.”

“Like what?” Robby asked. He sat next to me on the couch.

“They’ve been trying to fuck with nature. They’ve been trying to create hybrids of different creatures, different people. I couldn’t verify it, but I think they had dragons in there.”

The room collectively gasped. “They’ve caught dragons?” I asked.

“I think so. They’ve been keeping them under control with the Dragonsbane. I don’t know exactly what they’re doing to them, but we need to be careful.”

I looked at a blank space on the rocky wall. “Fuck. Any of them time dragons?”

“No,” Claire said. “If they were, then we likely wouldn’t be sitting here. But if they can capture them, then they can capture you.”

“X… maybe you should stay behind.” It was Maddox who suggested it. Normally, I would have butted heads with him, but the concern was clear in his voice. “We could be delivering you directly to them.”

He had a point. But I couldn’t sit this out. My family needed me, and my powers could be the difference between life and death.

“I understand the concern, but I have to be there.”

“Don’t be selfish.” Maddox started to push the issue, and that’s when my temper flared. “You want your hero moment, but not at the cost of ruining it all.”

“It’s not a hero moment. It’s me wanting to be there to save your ass when you mess shit up.”

“I’m not going to mess any?—”

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