As I hurried down a dark, narrow corridor, stacks of plywood on either side, there was a blur of motion from above. I skidded to a halt, tensing to run back the way I’d come, as the white dragon landed in front of me with a snarl. Raising her head, she drew in a breath, the fire gland below her jaw swelling, and my pulse spiked. I dived aside, toward a narrow gap between piles of wood, and squeezed through as a massive firestorm erupted behind me, setting everything ablaze. Wrenching myself through the space, I scrambled upright, feeling the immense heat at my back, searing through my clothes. Panting, I tensed to run again, when I spotted a gleam of yellow in the corner of the aisle, half-hidden in shadow, and my heart jumped.

Oh, please let that work.

An angry roar echoed behind me. Without looking back, I bolted to the corner, swung into the forklift seat and grabbed for the key, praying it would be there. It was still in the ignition, and the engine sputtered to life as I wrenched the key up and threw the machine into Drive.

A white dragon landed in the aisle with a snarl, hellish firelight playing across her scales. She had just enough time to glance up and hiss in alarm…as the forklift slammed into her, the metal prongs catching her on either side. Shrieking, she was dragged across the cement floor, ripping and tearing at the forklift, until I drove full speed into the opposite wall. The impact rocked me forward, nearly throwing me out of the vehicle, and several large crates tumbled free and crashed around us, spilling their contents everywhere.

Mist slumped against the prongs, trapped between the forklift and the wall. Her legs moved weakly, and she raised her head, dazed, as I dropped from the seat and stepped around to her side. Crystal-blue eyes opened, trying to focus as I fished in my jacket and pulled out the syringe.

“Wait,” she muttered, trying to struggle free. Her wings fluttered, pinned against the wall, and she clawed feebly at the metal prongs. “Cobalt, stop. You don’t know what you’re doing.”

“Sorry, kid,” I muttered, and drove the needle into her neck, angling up to slide it between the scales. She snapped at me, and I dodged back, watching as her struggles grew weaker and weaker. Eventually, her eyes rolled up, and she collapsed against the forklift. I sighed, stepping away, as the white hatchling gave a final twitch and lapsed into a drugged sleep.

“I do know what I’m doing,” I told the unconscious dragon. “I’ve always known. I just wish you could have seen it, too. I wish you could see what Talon is doing, to all of us.” Shaking my head, I watched her for another moment, then took a step back. “I would have shown you everything, if you had let me.”