by Julie Kagawa
I took a furtive breath and met the officer’s gaze again. “We came here because we need the Order’s help,” I said, ignoring Riley’s disgusted growl. “Because Talon is after us, too, and we thought combining forces with St. George would give us both a better chance at survival.” There, that was answering the question without revealing any details. Unfortunately, Ward was smarter than he looked.
“That tells me nothing,” he stated. “Dragons would not seek out the Order of St. George on a whim, not without some sort of plan. Not without some kind of negotiating power. If you came to us, you either have something we want, or you’re planning something and you need the Order’s help. Why risk it otherwise?” His gaze suddenly went to Tristan, as if he’d just noticed the large black case the soldier was holding, and his eyes narrowed. “What are you not telling me, dragon?”
“Lieutenant Ward.” Fortunately, Martin broke in at that moment, gesturing to a seat at the table. “If you would—I was just about to explain the situation.” Ward glowered, but he finally backed off. Martin spared a glance at Tristan, then turned to Garret.
“Am I to assume that the mission was a success?”
“Yes, sir.” Garret nodded once. “We have the prototype.”
“Good.” Martin gestured to Tristan. “Leave it on the table, St. Anthony.”
Tristan complied, giving the case a final longing glance as he walked away. “So, does this mean the Order is going to help us?” I asked, and Ward made a strangled noise of disgust, eyes flashing contempt as he glared at the other officer. Thankfully, he didn’t say anything, though Martin sighed heavily, bowing his head as he braced his arms on the table surface.
“It appears so,” he murmured, almost too soft to be heard. “Dragons and the Order, working together. Heaven help us all.” There was a pause, as if he was taking a deep breath, or making peace with that notion, before looking up. “Lieutenant.” He turned to Ward. “As you have already guessed, the Western Chapterhouse has accepted the aid of a group of dragons not allied with Talon. The reasons for this are severalfold—we need more bodies than we currently have to stand against the organization. These dragons have inside knowledge about Talon and how it works. They have already proved instrumental in acquiring something that could help us greatly in the war effort.”
Not to mention, we did save you from the first wave of Talon’s clones, I thought, though it seemed petty to voice it out loud. Ward made a disgusted noise and crossed his arms. Martin ignored it.
“As part of this deal,” the lieutenant went on, “the Western Chapterhouse has agreed to aid them in their efforts against Talon. You don’t have to be part of this, Lieutenant,” he added before Ward could say anything. “The Eastern Chapterhouse can refuse to help, and it will be well within your rights to do so. But know that the dragons here are under my protection, and I will not permit anyone, soldier or otherwise, to harm, threaten or harass them in any way. Please make that known to your men. The last thing we need is a battle within our own walls.”
“You goddamn fool,” Ward growled. “You’ve made a deal with the devil, and have dragged the rest of us into it, as well. What is this aid you’ve promised, because I’ll be damned if I’m letting a group of lizards out of my sight.”
“A rescue mission,” Martin said calmly. “We’re going to free a group of dragons Talon is holding captive.”
I thought Ward might explode. His neck bulged, his eyes got huge and his face turned an interesting shade of red. “Are you...fucking serious?” he roared, making me wince. “Not only are we accepting help from these monsters, we’re going to free them, too? Turn more dragons loose on the world, that’s what you’re planning?”
“You don’t have to come,” Riley said, that dangerous smirk crossing his face again. “If rescuing a bunch of soulless lizards is against your moral code, feel free to stay behind. In fact, I encourage it. It would be such a crying shame if you didn’t make it back.”
Ward shot him a look of black hatred, and I winced. Riley’s anger, though justified, was not helping things. “Lieutenant Martin,” Ward continued, his voice stiff and ugly. “Just so we are perfectly clear. Do you truly intend to help these monsters?”
“Yes,” Martin replied firmly. “I gave my word, and the Order is in desperate need of allies, Lieutenant. These dragons have agreed to help us fight Talon, and right now, I will take their aid and the hope of survival over following the Code of St. George.”
“Very well,” Ward growled. “Then I have no choice but to be a part of this. Someone must be there to make sure these things don’t slit our throats from behind. Though let it be on your conscience when they inevitably turn on us.”
“Funny,” Riley said. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
Ward didn’t deign to answer. Spinning on a heel, he marched from the room, slamming the door behind him. The frame rattled in the wake of the lieutenant’s exit, and he was gone.
Martin sighed.
“Sebastian,” he continued, as if determined to ignore everything that had happened in the past five minutes. “Good work on retrieving the prototype. I did some research while you were away. The island you’ve described does indeed exist, and appears to be privately owned. Look here.” He pointed to the table, where the map of the island lay unfolded at the center. “Judging from the map,” Martin continued as we crowded forward, “it has a docking station at the west point for food and supplies, and a guard tower at the north, south and east points of the island. But as far as I can tell, the rest of the fence line is unpatrolled.”
“So getting in won’t be an issue,” Riley guessed. “The challenge will be leaving the island with a bunch of dragons in tow, some of whom might not be able to Shift into human form.” He grimaced and looked at Martin. “Did you happen to find a solution to that little problem? How we’re going to safely transport a large number of dragons across the ocean without anyone seeing them?”
“The Order still has a few resources at its disposal,” Martin replied with a thoughtful look at the map. His brow furrowed, and he nodded slowly. “It will be difficult, but I think I have a way.” He paused, as if thinking, then glanced up at Riley. “I assume you’ll want this done as soon as possible.”
Riley nodded. “As soon as we can.”
“All right.” The lieutenant stepped back from the table. “I’ll need to make a few more calls, phone in a few favors, but if everything works out, we’ll be ready to go in under a week. I can’t promise anything more than that.”
“You’ve already agreed to more than we’d hoped for,” I said, making him raise a brow at me. “Thank you, Lieutenant.”
He gave a grim smile. “Don’t thank me yet, dragon. If this mission is to succeed, all its members must work together without fail. That means dragons and soldiers of St. George. Talk to me afterward, if any of us are still alive. St. Anthony...” He looked at Tristan, who snapped to attention. “If you would kindly join me in my office with the prototype. I would like to hear the mission details while we are examining this weapon in private. Sebastian?” He glanced at me. “Join us when you can.”
“Yes, sir.”
They left the room, Tristan retrieving the prototype from the desk, leaving me to think about the upcoming mission, and how unlikely it was that everyone would get along, work together and pull this off without a hitch. Ward’s arrival and insistence upon coming with us to the island certainly threw everything into question.
Riley shook his head and stepped back. “Well, I need to find Wes,” he announced, glancing at me and Garret. “Let him know what’s going on, see if he can uncover anything useful. If that Lieutenant Loudmouth and his men are coming with us, I want to know everything we can about that island so we can at least be prepared if they decide to shoot us in the back.”
“What about Mist?” Garret suggested. “She’s the one who gave us the map. Maybe she knows som
ething.”
Riley’s face darkened.
“Yeah,” he muttered, not sounding at all convinced. “Mist. An ex-Talon agent with a mystery employer backing us up with the soldiers of St. George. That gives me all sorts of confidence that this mission is going to go well.” He ran a hand down his face, grimacing. “Maybe you can talk to her, Firebrand,” he suggested, glancing at me. “See if you can find out who this mystifying employer of hers is. I haven’t had any luck dragging it out of her.”
“Me?” I asked. “You’re the fellow Basilisk. What makes you think I’d have a better chance?”
“Because you’re the one with the knack for making people do things they don’t want to do.”
“Thanks,” I said sarcastically.
“Not a criticism, Firebrand.” Riley gave a wry grin and gestured to the door Martin and Ward had gone through. “Look around you. Do you think any of us want to be here? Do you think any one of us are happy having to work with people whom we’ve considered our enemies for hundreds of years? Dragons allying with the Order of St. George? If you suggested that to anyone a year ago, they’d either be horrified or they’d think you’d gone completely bonkers.” He shrugged. “And yet, here we are, working together. Trying to save more of us. Because of you.
“So, yeah,” he finished, stepping toward the door. “If anyone has a shot of pulling information, kicking and screaming, out of Mist, I’d give you a better chance than me. Of course, if you don’t want to feel like you’re beating your head repeatedly against a brick wall, that’s fine, too. She’ll slip up someday.”
“Watch yourself out there,” Garret warned. “Lieutenant Ward won’t try anything directly, but a lot of his men have the same convictions he does. If they know there’s a dragon walking around...”
“Oh, don’t worry, St. George.” Riley smiled grimly. “I always watch my back around genocidal maniacs. And I’ll try not to eat anyone who tries to fuck with me. Best I can promise at the moment.” His gaze slid to me and turned grave. “You be careful, too, Firebrand,” he cautioned. “All it takes is a single loud voice to start a riot, and this place feels like a tinderbox right now. One spark, and everything will go up in flames.”
With that dire warning, he left the room, leaving me to wonder if I’d done the right thing in seeking the Order’s help, after all.
Garret
I’d never actively disliked Lieutenant Jacob Ward, until now.
I’d heard the stories, of course. We all had. His reputation was infamous among the soldiers of the Order, fed by rumor and egged on by the man himself. Drills that routinely made soldiers pass out from exhaustion, pain or dehydration. Punishments ranging from cleaning his boots with your tongue to doing push-ups in full gear for three hours straight. How his personal goal was to make every new recruit cry at least once during their first week at the chapterhouse. In the past, I’d never looked forward to missions where we had to partner with Ward’s men, because the soldiers of the Eastern Chapterhouse eventually developed the cruelty and ruthless nature of their lieutenant. They were superb dragonslayers, brutal and efficient in the field, but their insatiable bloodlust, and the way they treated anyone smaller or weaker than themselves, sometimes made them difficult to work with. I had been the target of their hazing once, when a pair of soldiers took personal offense to my growing reputation and tried to “put me in my place.” Two broken jaws and a dislocated elbow later, they’d known I was someone to leave alone, but I’d had to be just as brutal and vicious as them to get my point across.
I wondered how many of those soldiers had survived and were here right now. I wondered what would happen if they did try to start something with any of the dragons here, particularly Riley.
I grimaced. It wouldn’t end well, for either side. Not that I doubted my dragon teammates could take care of themselves when faced with a soldier of the Order, but if tempers were lost and violence erupted, it could shatter everything we were trying to accomplish. We needed the Order’s help, but you could only push a dragon so far. And, former comrades or not, if any one of them hurt the girl across from me, they would end up in the infirmary with a lot more than a broken jaw.
Ember, I noticed, had grown quiet. She hadn’t moved from the edge of the table, but was gazing at the map spread across the center. Her fingers reached down, tracing the edge of the paper.
“Did we do the right thing?” she mused, her voice solemn. “Did I do the right thing, insisting we come, that we seek out the Order? Maybe Riley was right, after all.” She pulled her hand back, still staring down at the map as if it could give her answers. “What if the Order isn’t ready for this?” she murmured. “For hundreds of years, St. George has hunted us. We’ve been demons and monsters to them for centuries. They’re not going to change their beliefs in a few days. And I didn’t even think of the breeders. What’s going to happen when they see the Order of St. George arrive? They’re just as likely to panic and start fighting out of fear and desperation.” She sighed, bowing her head. “Dammit. If we go to that island, and a dragon is hurt or killed because of me...”
I moved behind her, slipping my arms around her waist. “It won’t be your fault,” I told her. “You have done everything you can to prepare both sides for this. You’re right, the Order won’t change their beliefs in a few days. And as long as St. George exists, dragons will continue to fear and hate us. But we have to start somewhere.” She leaned back, resting her head on my shoulder, and I tightened my grip, content not to move. “This is a huge first step, Ember,” I said. “You have no idea the magnitude of an officer of St. George agreeing to ally with dragons. They’re starting to listen. We just have to trust that they’ll keep their word. And that they’ll eventually realize the truth.”
“Martin, perhaps.” Ember’s hands came to rest on my arms, squeezing gently. “I could see him finally accepting us, or at least realizing that some dragons don’t want what Talon wants. But Lieutenant Ward...” She sighed, a shadow crossing her face. “I’m afraid of what he’ll do,” she whispered. “What he might order his soldiers to do. We’ll be in the middle of nowhere and there will be no place for the breeders to run. What if his real goal is to get to that island and slaughter every dragon there? Riley would never forgive me.” Her voice dropped, becoming nearly inaudible. “I’d never forgive myself.”
“That won’t happen,” I told her firmly. “We’ll stop him. I’ll stop him, Ember, I promise. Even if I have to shoot him myself.”
Ember shivered. “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
I hoped it wouldn’t, either. I was weary of fighting my former brothers, sickened by their blood that stained my hands. I would protect the rogues, the underground and the dragon I loved, but that didn’t mean I didn’t hate myself each time I had to pull the trigger against the men I’d once fought beside.
“Garret?” Ember’s voice was contemplative, her fingers tracing small circles on my forearms. “Do you think...the war will come to an end in our lifetimes?”
I gazed down at her. It was hard to imagine. I’d known nothing but war my entire life. Everything I could remember was fighting, blood, battles and death. Except for one brief memory of a small town called Crescent Beach, and a summer that changed everything.
“I don’t know,” I murmured. Certainly the Order allying with rogue dragons was a huge step in the right direction, but it almost seemed to come too late. When Talon was poised to destroy everything. “Why?” I asked her. “What got you thinking of this?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Ember reached back and slipped her fingers into my hair. “I was remembering that summer, I guess.” She didn’t have to say what she meant; it was seared into both our memories forever. “I was thinking it would be nice to go back to normal again. Where we’re not running or fighting for our lives. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve even thought about surfing? Or anything that doesn’t involve bullets an
d guns and crazy suicide missions?”
I chuckled. “I thought that was normal for us.” She swatted my arm, and I grinned, pulling her closer. “Maybe someday,” I murmured, making her sigh. “Someday this will be over, and then you can drag me to parties and dancing and all the normal things people are supposed to do together.” I gave a wry grin, brushing her hair from her shoulder to place a kiss on her neck. “You’ll probably have to teach me, though. I still don’t have a great grasp of what normal is supposed to be.” I’m in love with a dragon. I’m as far removed from normal as anything can get.
“Honestly?” Ember whispered. “I don’t even care about those things anymore. I just... I want us to be alive at the end, all of us. You, Riley, Jade, Mist, the rogues... Dante.” She swallowed hard. “The longer the war goes on, the more likely it is I’m going to lose someone. We’ve gotten lucky so far. I can’t even remember how many close calls we’ve had, but I know it can’t last forever.” Her hands tightened almost painfully on my arms. “That’s all I want,” she whispered. “I’d rather die fighting beside you than spend normal alone.”
I gently turned her to face me and ran a thumb over her cheek. “I can’t promise you that, dragon girl,” I told her softly. “I wish I could. I wish I could protect everyone, but war doesn’t ever give you that luxury.” She nodded sadly, and I drew her closer, lowering my head. “But I can promise you this—as long as I have the breath to keep going, I won’t give up. I’ll keep fighting for that normal life. As long as this war doesn’t kill me, I plan to be right beside you when this is done.” She blinked, and I offered a small smile. “What do you say when this is all over we find a beach and go surfing again? I’ll bet money you fall off your board more than I do.”
