“With what?” I snarled at her, and gestured to the group watching in the living room. “A handful of untrained hatchlings? Alone? How long do you think they’re going to last against an army?”
“Not alone,” Ember agreed. “None of us can stand against Talon alone. That’s why we need to ally with the Order, and anyone else that we can find. Ex-Talon servants, other rogues, Eastern dragons, everyone.” She glanced at Jade and Mist, on opposite ends of the table. “If we put out the call to oppose Talon, more will join us. There have to be those within the organization who don’t agree with the Elder Wyrm, who would be willing to fight if they knew there were others doing the same. But we have to start this war ourselves—we have to start actively resisting, instead of running away. If we join with the Order of St. George, we have a chance.”
I could sense a stunned, nervous silence coming from the living room. Most of the hatchlings were still half-asleep, but Ember’s words were waking them up quick. It would probably be only a few seconds longer before some of them started to chime in.
“Join with the Order,” Jade mused, and her normally placid expression twisted into an expression of anger and loathing. “Ally with the humans who destroyed my temple and slaughtered my friends. The thought is...sickening.
“But,” she added, “I do see your point. Talon is not going to stop. They were the ones who gave the Order the location of my temple. They are the ones responsible for the destruction of my home and the murder of my friends. St. George might have done the killing, but Talon was the hand wielding the weapon. All because I refused to conform to their ways. They will do the same to every dragon they find, until we are all dead or enslaved to the organization.” She drummed her fingers on her arm, her expression pensive. “Change must come,” she mused. “That much is certain. Perhaps allying with the Order is the way to bring it about.”
“Join the Order?” On the other side of the table, Mist shook her head. “Well, if that’s your plan, I can tell you one thing—Talon certainly wouldn’t expect it.”
I slammed my fist on the table, making Wes and several of the hatchlings jump. “Just like that, huh?” I said as they all looked at me. “Join the Order and go fight Talon’s army with them? March merrily off to war with my underground and all my hatchlings—that’s what you’re suggesting?”
“Not all of them,” Ember said. “Only the ones who agree to come.” She turned from me then, taking a step forward to face the group of hatchlings. “I’m not going to force anyone to fight,” she told the room. “But you should have the choice. You should know what we’re up against, and what we can try to do to fight. We can’t keep running and hiding. We have to take a stand.”
“Stop it, Ember.” I stepped forward, as well, furious. “Why don’t you tell them the truth?” I looked past her into the living room, at the sea of tense faces, and narrowed my eyes. “If you fight Talon and St. George, you’re going to die,” I said, and saw several of them stiffen. “This is a war. It’s not like television or the movies. There’s nothing romantic or honorable about it. It’s bullets and blood and chaos and death, and neither side has any qualms about gunning you down or tearing you apart. You’ve all seen St. George. You know what they’re like. And Talon is even worse. If we go charging into a war zone, we’re going to be killed.”
“We’re going to be killed, anyway, Riley.” Ember’s voice, though remorseful, was unyielding. “Sooner or later, whether you like it or not, the war is going to catch up. Talon isn’t going to stop. Whatever they’re planning, it’s happening now.” She faced the group of hatchlings once more, raising her voice. “We can either go out and face it head-on, or we can wait for it to come and kill us. Once Talon destroys St. George, none of us will ever be safe again. We can’t run from this any longer. It’s time to start fighting back.”
“No,” I said firmly, and stepped away from her. “I’m sorry, Firebrand. But I can’t. I’ve spent the past decade trying to protect this underground, to take the risks so they wouldn’t have to. I’ve already lost too many, to both Talon and St. George. I can’t in good conscience send them out to fight, knowing that they’re probably going to die.” She gazed at me, the look on her face devastatingly blank. “I’m sorry,” I said again. “But there are some lines I won’t cross. This is one of them. Hate me if you want, Ember, but we’re not going to fight a battle we can’t win. We’re not going anywhere. St. George will have to get by without us.”
“I’ll go.”
I turned in amazement as a girl rose from the back and faced us with grim determination. “I’ll go,” Nettle said again, stepping forward. “I’m not afraid.”
“Nettle,” I growled as fear and anger surged up, making my voice sharp, “you don’t know what you’re saying. If you try to fight this army, you’re going to die.”
“Maybe,” Nettle replied. “Or maybe Talon will come for us tonight while we’re all asleep, and I’ll die, anyway.” I started to argue with her, but she raised her voice. “I’m tired, Cobalt,” she said. “I’m tired of constantly hiding and being afraid. Always watching my back, being scared to go anywhere alone, waking up to evacuate in the middle of the night. It never ends. It’s always something, either Talon or St. George wanting to kick down our door and slaughter us all.” She slumped, rubbing her arm self-consciously. “She’s right. If we don’t start fighting back, we’ll be running away for the rest of our lives.”
Raising her chin, she met Ember’s gaze. “So, yeah. I’m done with this. If St. George needs us to save them from Talon, I guess we’ll just have to show them what we can do. Count me in.”
“Me, too,” echoed Remy, standing up. “I’m coming, too.”
“Yeah. Me, too.”