Page 102 of Dragon 7

Or you’re just as crazy as me.

Down on the ground, movement came at the front of Akiro's ranks. Small groups of men broke off and moved forward into the open ground between the plane and our tree line. They carried small dark objects in their hands, knelt every few feet, and placed them into the grass.

Reo leaned forward. "What are they doing?"

My brother spoke under his breath. "Goryū, go see."

I blinked. "Who the fuck is Goryū?"

Kenji remained quiet and watched the men in the grass. I doubt he even heard me. Then. . .seconds later, he sighed. "They're placing down mines."

"Fuck," Reo shook his head. "Smart. We have to go forward. We can't let them place too many. If they do, then they'll own our field. Not us."

My brother's voice stayed low. "Weaken them, Goryū."

I squinted at the field.

Suddenly, two of the men placing mines dropped. No shots or person had hit them. They simply folded into the grass like puppets with the strings cut at the same instant.

Did Kenji’s dragon-shadow do that? Fuck! He really does have control of it.

The other men placing mines did not notice the men lying on the ground for two full seconds. When they did, they looked around and then at each other. Their hands shook as they frantically whispered to each other.

Reo turned to my brother and nodded.

Toma's voice came confused. "What happened to them?"

Kenji spoke loud enough for all of us and even turned to the Silent Ones. "Get ready to head out. And be careful. There are at least ten mines out there now."

And then the worst thing happened. . .the ghost appeared near one mine. The baby girl in her pink onesie sat cross-legged. Her curly hair lifted in the night breeze. More blood dripped down her temple.

She watched both armies with those dark calm eyes, turned her face toward me, and stuffed her thumb in her mouth.

Okay. . .real or not. . .I’m fighting this war for you too.

She blinked like she heard me and. . .for a few insane-driven seconds. . .I actually hoped she did.

“Get ready.” My brother lifted Totoro and pulled the trigger guard back. A spark caught at the barrel's mouth. "Now!"

The whole tree line moved.

All the Claws, except the twins, rushed out first.

Masked.

Fast.

Roaring.

The Fangs sprinted and got to the Claws’ sides with their own battle cry. Kaoru a streak of pink hair behind the Kuchisake. Yoichi a flash of ancient gold. Satoshi a low iron silhouette. Rin in white with both hooked-braids swinging like signals at his back.

Behind them, the Scales poured from the trees in hundreds. Solid red, black, and gray masks flooded past the tree line in a wave that did not stop and did not slow.

And behind the Scales, deeper in the dark, the Silent Ones rose from their patient stillness and came forward in red hoods that ate every shred of moonlight.

Across the field, Akiro's men snapped their views to the forest. Their confident faces changed. Their guns came up too late. Their ranks moved too slow.

A man with a rocket launcher lowered the weapon and stared in shock. It might have been the masks that shocked him first. . .or the sheer size of roaring men racing toward them. . .and then he was dead. . .I didn’t even know how Yoichi had gotten there so fast.