“But,” Martin went on with a sigh, “you were also the one who discovered the truth. You brought this conspiracy to light, you and your dragons. And regardless of what St. George believes, you risked much to bring it to the Order’s attention. I will not forgive what you’ve done, but it would be foolish of me not to hear you out.” His voice turned cold and hard, and his eyes glinted as he spared the girl beside me a glare of loathing. “Even if I must sit down to dinner with a demon.”
Ember’s lips thinned, but she didn’t say anything. She knew nothing she said would change Martin’s disposition toward her. She was a dragon, and so, in his eyes, she was a monster. But he didn’t know her at all. He’d never seen her bravery, her kindness and determination. He’d never seen her risk her life for someone, be it human or dragon, because all life was precious to her. He didn’t know how much she hated the endless fighting and killing and longed for the day when the war would be over. Even with Ember sitting right across from him, all he saw was a dragon.
But he was still here, talking to us. Sitting across from his sworn enemy and having a conversation, instead of trying to slaughter it outright. It was a start, I thought. We wouldn’t be able to end the war overnight, but at least it was a step in the right direction.
“So.” Martin folded his hands before him again. “Talk, Sebastian. You risked contact with St. Anthony for a reason. I assume it was for something important.” His expression darkened. “Though, I will warn you both, I’m not sure what you think the Order can do, now that that the Patriarch is gone.”
“Why?” asked Ember, the first thing she’d said since meeting Martin. He gave her a hard look, but answered calmly.
“When Sebastian exposed the Patriarch’s involvement with Talon, it threw the Order into chaos. His death has fractured it even more. There is a divide within St. George, between those who accept that the Patriarch was working with the dragons, and those who believe he was set up. Chapterhouses have called their soldiers back and are operating independently from each other. Everyone is outraged, but no one knows what to do or who to trust.” Martin’s gaze narrowed. “It’s quite the mess you left us, Sebastian,” he said. “So I hope that, whatever news you’re about to tell me, you don’t expect the Order to respond in haste. Or at all.”
Ember released a slow breath. “Talon was expecting this,” she said, her voice full of quiet horror. “They were probably planning to expose the Patriarch themselves, and we just hurried things along.”
I was thinking the same, and the sick feeling in my gut grew stronger. With the Order so fractured and disorganized, it was the perfect time for an attack. Unintentional or not, we might have given Talon the exact opening they needed. Martin’s jaw tightened, his gaze sharp as it flicked between us.
“I assume this is about Talon, then.” It wasn’t a question.
I nodded. “Sir,” I said, looking up at him. “You have to contact the Order. We came here with a warning—Talon is going to attack St. George. We don’t know when, but it’s going to be very soon.”
Martin straightened. “An attack?” he said. “On St. George soil? Where is it taking place?” he asked, leaning forward. “Which chapterhouse?”
“All of them,” Ember said, making his brows rise. “Every chapterhouse, every Order sanctuary around the world, is going to be hit on the same night. At the same time.”
“That’s impossible,” Martin said flatly. “Talon doesn’t have the numbers for that kind of operation. Especially since we’ve taken out more dragons in the past three years than we ever have before.”
“Most of those dragons weren’t part of Talon,” I said, feeling the anger rise up from the girl beside me. “They were rogues, deserters who left the organization and went into hiding. Or dragons who never belonged to Talon at all. All you’ve been doing is taking out Talon’s enemies, the dragons they’ve wanted out of the way.”
“Regardless.” Martin leaned back, seemingly unconcerned. “It doesn’t matter if these ‘rogues’ were part of the organization or not. Talon still does not have the manpower for a full-scale assault on the Order.”
“They do now,” Ember broke in. “They have an army of dragons. And if you don’t take this seriously, they’re going to hit St. George when no one is prepared for it, and they’re going to wipe you out.”
He gave her a long, scrutinizing look. “And how would this be a bad thing for you, dragon?” he asked in a quiet voice. “Sebastian I can understand. He has been twisted and corrupted by the enemy, but in his heart, the loyalty to the cause and his former brothers in St. George cannot be erased so quickly. But you...” His voice turned cold. “You are a dragon, and we are at war. If the Order falls, your kind will be free to do what you wish. Talon will win. Why would you try to prevent the complete destruction of your enemies?”
“Because some of us don’t want that,” Ember said firmly. “I swear, you Order types only hear what you want to hear. Will you please just listen to what I’m saying? I am telling you that I’m not a part of Talon. I don’t want any more killing. I have no desire or intention to enslave anyone or take over the world. But if you don’t warn the rest of the Order about this attack, Talon will kill you all. And that would be disastrous for everyone, my kind included.”
“So you say.” Martin still didn’t sound convinced. “That does not tell me how Talon has acquired an army large enough to take out the Order in one night.”
“Talon is cloning dragons,” I said flatly. “That’s how they’ve acquired their army—they’ve grown them from the blood and DNA of other dragons. Numbers don’t matter anymore, because they can just make more of them.”
For the first time, Martin seemed taken aback. His skin paled, and he stared at me with a mix of disbelief and horror. “Cloning dragons?” he repeated. “Are you very sure about this?”
I nodded. “We’ve seen them firsthand. They’re not like the others. These dragons have been bred for war and fighting and nothing else. They’re not meant to be human, or to blend in with the rest of the population. They’re throwaway soldiers that don’t care if they live or die.”
“How many?”
“We don’t know exactly,” Ember replied. “But we can assume it’s enough to take on St. George. Especially now that the Order is so disjointed.” She shivered a little, her voice turning grave. “You’ve never seen dragons like this—they’ve been programmed by the Talon scientists for obedience, and now they’re like machines. No fear, no self-preservation instinct. They won’t break or run away, even if most of them are slaughtered—they’ll just keep coming until whatever they’re sent to kill is completely destroyed.”