“What’s gotten into you, soldier boy?” Ember ran her fingers down the side of my face, and I closed my eyes. “Not that I mind, but this isn’t like you.”
I sobered. “Talon is coming,” I said, destroying the tranquility with that one simple statement. Her smile faded, her eyes turning grim and dark. “We don’t know how big that clone army is, but we do know that they plan to attack soon. Riley was right to call everyone here—his safe houses were on Talon’s strike list, and he needs to take care of his underground. I get that. But...the Order is in danger, too. If Talon hits them now, when they’re disorganized and still reeling from the Patriarch’s death, they could very well wipe them out. Or cripple them so badly they’ll never recover.” I paused, measuring my next words, wondering how she would take it, then sighed. “I have to warn them.”
“Warn them? How?” She stared at me for only a moment before she got it, and her eyes narrowed in alarm. “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”
“I won’t ask you to come.” I turned away, gazing back toward the farmhouse. “Your place is here, with Riley and the other rogues. You should be with your own, especially now. But... I have to go, Ember. I don’t agree with St. George or what they do anymore, but I can’t let them be wiped out.” I thought of Tristan, of Lieutenant Martin, and the soldiers I had grown up with. “The Order was my home, and there are still good people there. I have to try to warn them.”
I felt her presence behind me. “I know. I figured you would try to contact the Order sooner or later, no matter what Riley said.” Stepping close, she took my hand, weaving her fingers through mine. “But you’re crazy if you think I’m going to let you go alone.”
Relief spread through me, which surprised me a little. I hadn’t realized how much I’d wanted her to come, to choose me, until now. But at the same time, I didn’t want to take her from her own kind unless she was absolutely certain. This was still St. George, the enemy of all dragons, and the war was far from over. “Are you sure?” I asked, turning back to her. “I don’t know if they’ll listen to me. I’m still the most hated person in the Order right now, and their views on dragons haven’t changed. It will be dangerous, Ember. They’ll probably try to kill us both.”
“I know.” She stepped closer, looping her arms around my neck. “And yes, I’m sure. You said so yourself—someone has to take that first step. Someone has to start trusting the other side, or this war will never be over.” Green eyes peered up at me, confident and unafraid, as I slid my arms around her. “We’ll change things, soldier boy, one step at a time.”
The crunch of approaching footsteps caught my attention. I released Ember and turned just as a trio of teens came around the corner of the barn. They were all hatchling dragons, but at least one of them, the boy out front, was bigger and older than me. He had spiky black hair and dark eyes, and I realized that these were the dragons that had been talking to Remy earlier in the living room. Their postures were stiff, their faces hard, making me tense. I’d seen those looks before, indignant and challenging—they were looking for trouble, and I could guess who their target was.
“Can we help you?” Ember asked in a cool voice.
They ignored her, turning to glare at me with dark, hate-filled eyes. “Hey, human,” the oldest dragon spat, confirming my suspicion. “Heard an interesting story about you today. Someone said that you’re really a soldier of St. George. Is that true?”
“Who told you that?” Ember demanded.
“The scrawny kid. What was his name again?” The teen shrugged. “He came with the black dragon.”
Ember let out an exasperated sigh. “Dammit, Remy,” she muttered. “You and your big mouth. Stop spreading rumors already.”
“So, is he right?” one of the other teens demanded, glaring at me. “Were you really a dragonkiller?”
“Yes,” I said simply, and their expressions darkened. One of them curled a lip with a low growl, clenching his fists. The lead dragon didn’t move, but his pupils turned slitted and reptilian. “I’m not with the Order anymore,” I went on, knowing these three wouldn’t care. They would see only what I had been—a former dragonslayer of St. George, their greatest enemy. Nothing I said would convince them otherwise, but I still had to try. “I left that life, and St. George, behind. I’m not here to fight you.”
As expected, they didn’t back off, and the lead dragon took a menacing step forward, his pupils still razor-sharp. I saw the tension in his arms and shoulders and knew he was gearing up for a fight. “Murdering bastard,” he growled.
“Hey,” Ember snapped, and stepped forward, bristling, as well. “Didn’t you hear what he said? He’s not part of the Order anymore. He’s on our side, so you three can just back the hell off.”
“Fuck that.” The leader hadn’t taken his gaze from me the whole time. He took another step, and this time the others followed, crowding forward. “I had a friend once, St. George,” the lead dragon said icily. “Another hatchling Cobalt freed from Talon. We were living in a safe house up north, minding our own business, not bothering no one. Until the night St. George kicked down the door.”
I repressed a sigh, knowing it had to be something like that, that the now familiar story would always come back to haunt me. And nothing I could say would make it right or better. I might not have been on that raid, but I’d been on many like it. And depending on how long ago it was, I couldn’t be certain I hadn’t been on that strike, that I hadn’t participated in what was coming next.
“I got out,” the dragon continued, “but my friend was shot dead in front of me. Four soldiers gunned him down while he was lying on the floor, begging them to stop. A kid who hadn’t hurt anyone his entire life.” The teen’s eyes glimmered, nostrils flaring, like he was drawing in a breath to unleash a gout of flame. “So wha’d’ya have to say to that, St. George?”
“Nothing,” I said wearily. I could apologize, but it would hold no weight. It would not erase the crimes of my past, the blood on my hands or the hatred in the eyes of the dragons before me. They were not here for apologies or to be reasoned with. They wanted vengeance on St. George, to strike back against the Order that had persecuted them for years, and I was the perfect candidate.
“That’s what I thought,” the lead dragon growled, and drew back a fist. “Fucking bastard. This is for Isaac.”
Ember’s menacing growl cut through the air, making him pause. The girl hadn’t moved, but her eyes glowed ominously, her pupils razor-thin against the green. “One more step, and you’ll have to fight us both,” she warned.