When I walked into the room, the line of soldiers waiting for me snapped to attention.
“At ease,” I told them, and they relaxed, including Tristan, standing at the head of the line. Coming to a halt in front of the men, I took a moment to study each of their faces, evaluating my forces, the ones who had survived.
Eleven soldiers. That was all that was left of the Order of St. George. On this side of the world, anyway. If any of our neighboring chapterhouses had survived, we hadn’t heard from them. The Order had shrunk from a few hundred individuals from chapterhouses across the United States, to these eleven soldiers before me. Talon’s devastation had been almost absolute.
Almost.
“Lieutenant St. Anthony,” I said, glancing at Tristan. “Have the men been informed of the situation?”
“Yes, sir,” Tristan replied in a tone that made me wince inside. I was still getting used to being called sir by everyone, including my former partner. But after Lieutenant Ward had suddenly and unexpectedly resigned, claiming he no longer had a place in this new world where dragons were not monsters, the vote had been unanimous: I was the new commander of the Western Chapterhouse. Which meant, unless someone of higher rank showed up to challenge me, I would lead the United States Order of St. George.
Such as it was.
I wished it didn’t have to be me. I wished Martin had survived; he was the best suited to lead the Order. After the assault on Talon, the lieutenant had been brought home and buried with the rest of the fallen, his cross rising above the others in the cemetery, somber and proud. I wished he was here now, to tell me how a true leader should act. But St. George needed someone, someone who knew dragons, and who would make decisions based not on fear, but on understanding. The Order needed me, but more important, the dragons needed someone to be their voice. I couldn’t falter now.
I faced the men before me, recognizing each of them. They had all been there, in the last, terrible battle. They had all seen the horror of the clones and the terror of the Elder Wyrm. And they had all stood with a hatchling or rogue dragon fighting beside them as an ally. They were ready to begin something new.
“Today is a new day for the Order,” I began. “Today we will take the first steps toward peace with those we once considered enemies. Today, Talon and St. George will finally reach an accord. I know this goes against everything the Order taught us, but everyone here has seen the truth, just as I did. They’re not monsters. Just like humans, they’re individuals with their own fears, ambitions, regrets, everything. Most important, they don’t have to be our enemies. We can learn to work together, but the Order has to change to see that happen. I’m committed to seeing that change, but know that if you stay, we will face opposition. It will be a hard road at first, and if there are other survivors within St. George, some of our own will certainly challenge us.” I paused, and saw some of them nod; they knew, as well as I did, the minds of the Order would not be changed overnight. “But we must stand firm,” I went on. “We cannot let blind hatred drive us any longer. This is just the first step toward peace with dragons—it will take all of us to make it last.”
“Sir.” One of the men stepped forward; I recognized him as a soldier named Alexander, maybe two years older than me. He’d been part of Ward’s group, but had yet to develop the sadistic hatred the Eastern Chapterhouse soldiers were famous for. “I have a question,” he continued as I nodded at him. “Sir, what will happen to the Order if we’re not at war with the dragons? What will be the purpose of St. George, if we are no longer called to fight? Will the Order eventually be disbanded?”
“No.” I shook my head. “Not yet. Not for a long while. Perhaps, someday in the future the world will no longer need the Order of St. George. But right now, we are the only human organization who is aware of the existence of dragons. We will provide…not opposition, but a counterbalance to Talon. There will be dragons who share the Elder Wyrm’s view, who might wish to harm the organization or humanity itself. Talon will call on us if they need the Order’s help to deal with problem individuals within the organization. And as we grow and rebuild our numbers, the Order of St. George will stand vigilant, ready to act should Talon attempt a hostile takeover once more.”
He nodded gravely. We might not be at war any longer, but we all knew the threat the organization represented. I didn’t want to think it could happen, but if the worst came to pass and another Elder Wyrm rose to power, the Order of St. George was still humanity’s best defense against Talon and the threat of dragons.
I hoped it would never come to that.
“Are there any more questions?” I asked, and when no one answered, I turned to Tristan, standing rigidly beside me. “Are we ready to go, Lieutenant?”
“Yes, sir,” Tristan replied. “The car is waiting out front now.”
“Dismissed,” I told the soldiers before me. “Alexander, you’re in charge until we return. Contact me if anything unusual happens.”
“Sir.”
“Let’s go,” I told Tristan, and we left the room, heading outside into the hot Arizona sun.
* * *
“Damn,” Tristan muttered a few hours later. He craned his neck, gazing up at the skyscraper towering overhead. It loomed against the evening sky, a monolith of glass and steel rising into the twilight. “To think, an office of the Elder Wyrm was right here, and we never realized it.”
“Good thing we didn’t,” I replied as we walked toward the front doors. A security guard opened them for us with a nod, and we ducked into the air-conditioned building. “I can’t imagine going head-to-head with her again and not being completely obliterated.”
“God, that was a fight, wasn’t it?” Tristan agreed, keeping his voice low, as our footsteps echoed across the spacious lobby. “One thing that confuses me, though. How did you become the leader of St. George when, technically, I was the one who killed the freaking Elder Wyrm?”
I shot him a glance and saw that he was grinning. “You want the job?” I asked, heading toward a trio of well-dressed humans who looked like they were expecting us. He snorted.
“Fuck, no. But a plaque on my office door would be nice. Tristan St. Anthony, Slayer of the Legendary Elder Wyrm, has a nice ring to it.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” I muttered, and then fell silent as the trio of smiling humans came forward, shook our hands and requested that we follow them to the meeting.
The elevator took us to the very top floor, and when the doors finally opened, a wall of windows showed off open sky with a few dotted stars, and the glittering city streets very, very far below. A pink tinted cloud floated in the sea of navy blue, and for a moment, I felt a sudden, irrational urge to stand at the very edge of the building, as close to the sky as I could get.
“The meeting is about to start, sir,” one of the humans said, gesturing at a large wooden door at the end of the hall. “Please, go on in.”
Tristan and I pushed open the doors, and walked into a roomful of dragons.
Everyone had arrived before us, it seemed, though we had arrived early. Across the table, Riley and Mist sat side by side, with a very bored-looking Wes lounging over his laptop. Jade and another Eastern dragon, a slender man with a white mustache down to his waist, perched at the other end. Both wore elegant robes, and Jade’s hair was pinned up with ivory chopsticks, adding to her unruffled mystique. The older Easter dragon’s eyes were closed, either in meditation or trying very hard to appear serene, given the final dragon in the room. At the head of the table, the Archivist, the ancient Wyrm who guarded Talon’s Vault, stood beside an empty chair, a sheaf of papers in both wrinkled hands. His pale blue eyes met mine as we entered, and he inclined his head.
“Commander Sebastian,” the ancient dragon greeted, his quiet voice making the tiles shiver under my feet. “Lieutenant St. Anthony, welcome. We are glad you could join us.”
“Thank you,” I said, and seated myself at the end of the table, Tristan beside me. The Archivist leaned over and pressed a button on the phone in front of him, speaking into the receiver.
“The Order of St. George has arrived, ma’am.”
My heart beat faster as a door opened on the opposite wall, and Ember came into the room. Gone was the girl in jeans and a T-shirt, a firearm hanging at her waist and her hair standing on end. Now, she wore a dark green suit jacket, a matching skirt, and her hair was brushed back, looking almost manageable. For just a heartbeat, I felt a flicker of apprehension at how similar she looked to Dante. Maybe not her clothes, but her posture and appearance spoke of the same cool, businesslike attitude I’d seen in her twin and many of the other Talon dragons.
But then our gazes met and she gave me a smile, instantly becoming the Ember I’d always known, and I relaxed. Despite the expensive clothes and sudden acquisition of an entire multi-billion-dollar company, she was still the same.
“Everyone.” She took her place at the head of the table and gazed around at the assembled humans and dragons. For a moment, she seemed to gather herself, to collect her thoughts or her composure, to act in the way the new CEO of Talon should. Then she smiled, and it filled the entire room.
“This hardly seems real, doesn’t it?” Ember regarded the table with shining green eyes. “I never really thought that, in my lifetime, we would see the end of the fighting between Talon and the Order of St. George. But here we all are.” She raised her hands, indicating the table, though her gaze lingered on me. “Alive. At the end of the war at last. Though it’s been hard getting here. I know we all lost something to finally see this day come.”
A shadow crossed her face, and my heart ached for her, knowing she was thinking of Dante. Her sibling’s body had been lost in the lab explosion, and Ember had taken that hard, not being able to say a proper goodbye. I understood. I, too, had left someone behind in the explosion, someone I’d never imagined running into. Seeing him in the depths of Talon’s laboratory, knowing exactly what he had become, what he had turned into, hadn’t made it any easier. It was painful, but the last piece of my past was truly gone; I was Garret Xavier Sebastian, Commander of the Order of St. George, and now, I would look only to the future.
“But regardless,” Ember continued, taking a short breath to compose herself. “We’re here. And we can’t cling to the past. So, unless anyone has any questions, we should get started.”
“Actually, I do have one question, Firebrand,” Riley said, making the old Eastern dragon blink at him, perhaps startled by his nonchalance in addressing the new leader of Talon. “I was going to ask you later, but what the hell, we’re all friends here. I’ll bring it up now. Are you sure you want this? Being the new CEO? Taking over the Elder Wyrm’s job?”
“Yes,” Ember said seriously. “I’m sure. The executives have accepted my position, or at least, they were forced to accept my position. As daughter of the Elder Wyrm, I am the rightful heir to Talon now that Dante is gone. And the Archivist fought for me. He’s offered to be my mentor and assistant, until I can run company affairs on my own.”
“That’s not really what I meant,” Riley said, making the Archivist frown at him. “I’ve worked for Talon. I know how they do things. Not that I doubt your abilities, Firebrand, but Talon has been unchanged for centuries, and a lot of the members are not going to want to try anything new. It’s going to be a fight every step of the way, and you’re still just a hatchling. Are you sure you want this? To give your entire life to the organization?”
“If not me,” Ember said softly, “then who?” He didn’t have an answer for that, and she nodded. “This is why I’m here, Riley. I wanted our race to be free, to not live in fear of Talon.”
“At the cost of your own freedom?” Riley asked grimly.
Ember gave a sad smile. “Dante once told me that sacrifice is necessary,” she said. “He was right. There are too many people and dragons who are counting on me to make a difference. So many things need to change. I know it’s going to be an uphill fight all the way, but I have to do it.” Her smile became wistful. “Maybe someday I can retire, but right now, this is my place.
“I hope we can make this work,” Ember went on, and paused. “No, I am committed to making this work. Talon will change, I promise to see that happen. But there’s still a lot of work to do, and we need everyone’s help to make the transition as smooth as possible.”
“That is why we are here,” the Archivist broke in, and stepped forward. “Ma’am, if I may?” he asked, looking at Ember, who nodded.
“I take it you have all reviewed the treaty?” the Archivist continued, placing the documents on the table in front of us. His pale eyes shifted to me behind his glasses. “First and most important—Talon and the Order of St. George will agree to an immediate cease-fire, and the Order will abstain from killing any members of Talon, dragon or human, without reasonable cause. Which are clearly documented on page two, paragraph 4B. Likewise, all members of Talon will follow the same procedures when dealing with the Order and its members. Does St. George have any questions or concerns, Commander Sebastian?”
“No,” I replied. I’d reviewed the treaty earlier and found no discrepancies or loopholes; with a few corner cases, it basically stated that Talon and St. George were at peace, and members of both sides were not to harm the other unless their lives were threatened. At the behest of Tristan, I did add a clause that, should any member of Talon attempt a global hostile takeover, or mean obvious harm to a human being, the Order would be free to act on their own judgment and respond accordingly. I was told that many Talon executives weren’t happy with that clause, but Ember and the Archivist had agreed to it.
The Archivist nodded. “Agent Cobalt,” he went on, looking at the former rogue. “You have agreed to head the new branch Talon plans to open. Is this still acceptable? For hatchlings who do not wish to directly serve the organization, your division will be responsible for placing them in homes where they will be safe, and monitoring their progress until they come of age.”
“Basically, what I do now,” Riley answered with a wry grin. “That’s fine with me.”
“But they would have a choice,” Ember said. “That’s the difference. They don’t have to work for Talon—they can choose what path they want for themselves. Talon will, of course, provide a full education should they decide to stay with the organization, but for the first time, that choice will be theirs alone.”
“Personally, I don’t see many of them leaving Talon, at least not permanently,” Mist broke in. She sat next to Riley with her chin resting on her laced fingers, looking thoughtful. “When you’ve been raised as part of something bigger, even if you have that choice, it’s hard to break away and try to make it alone.”
“They’ll never be alone,” Ember said, and Riley nodded. “We will always be here for any dragon, member of Talon or not. Which is why I’m very happy to be allying with the Eastern council. Mr. Lei,” she went on, turning to the old man beside Jade. “I know your people crave isolation, so thank you for agreeing to this partnership, and for allowing Jade to represent the Eastern dragons. I promise we will stay out of your affairs as much as possible.”
The old man narrowed his eyes. “It was as much for our own survival that we agreed to ally with Talon,” he said in a breathy but powerful voice, causing a shiver to run up my spine. He wasn’t as old as the Archivist, but he was an old dragon all the same. “Your organization has proven how dangerous and devious they can be, and in this, we feel we have no choice. At least with Jade keeping an eye on things, we will not be taken by surprise again.”
Ember bowed her head. “I hope to change your opinion,” she said quietly. “I hope that, someday, you will come to see the Western dragons as friends, and not as a threat.”
The old dragon sniffed. “We shall see,” he said imperiously. “Let us hope you will show better judgment than those who came before you, hatchling.”
Ember didn’t answer, but Jade caught my gaze across the table and rolled her eyes, making me bite back a smile. Whatever their opinion of Talon, at least we had one ally who would defend us. I suspected we hadn’t seen the last of the wise, witty Eastern dragon who had kidnapped me, and I had no complaints about that.
“Then,” said the Archivist with the note of drawing the meeting to a close, “if we are in agreement, all that remains is for the treaty to be signed by the respective parties. Once signed, it will be effective immediately.” He flipped to the last page of the documents and slid it over to Riley, who made a show of scrutinizing the last words before scrawling his name on the first of four lines, with Mist acting as witness. It then crossed over to Jade and the Eastern dragon, who did the same. Finally, it came to me. I signed my full name on the given line and passed the treaty back to the Archivist, who placed it before Ember and handed her a pen.
“Ma’am,” he said quietly. “Yours is the final signature.”
As Ember took the pen, her gaze met mine for a brief moment, her eyes shining with triumph, and hope. We did it, they said. Everything we’d been through, all the sacrifice, losses, struggles and heartache—it all came down to this.
The daughter of the Elder Wyrm added the final signature to the document, and the treaty was complete.
Ember took a deep breath and straightened as the papers were taken away. “It’s done,” she whispered, and rose from her seat, gazing around the table. “Thank you,” she said simply. “All of you. You don’t know how happy I am that we’ve finally come to an accord.”
Riley pushed back his seat, prompting the rest of us to rise, too. “So, what now, Firebrand?” he asked. “We defeated an army, killed the Elder Wyrm and ended a war. Where do we go from here?”
“Forward,” Ember replied. “Always forward. It’s a new day, and anything is possible.”
“Well,” Riley said, gazing around at the rest of us. “I’ve got somewhere to be soon, but I’d say this calls for a celebration, drinks on me.” His gaze fell on me and Tristan, and he grinned. “What’dya say, St. George? Not opposed to throwing a few back with a bunch of lizards, are you? If anything, I’ll bet money I can drink both of you under the table.”
Tristan scoffed. “You’re on, lizard,” he began, and caught himself. “Uh, that is, if the commander is up for it.”
I grimaced. This commander thing would take some getting used to. “We have nowhere to be until tomorrow,” I said. “I’d say establishing relations with our new allies isn’t a bad idea.” I shot Tristan a sideways look. “Though I’ll leave the drinking to you, Lieutenant. I still remember the last time you convinced me to ‘loosen up.’ My stomach still hasn’t forgiven you for that.”
“Suit yourself, Commander. Guess I’ll just have to drink for the both of us.”
“A fine idea,” Jade put in, standing up in a fluttering of robes. “Mr. Lei will be returning to the hotel room, but I believe I will join this wager, as well. In the name of strengthening alliances, of course.”
I blinked in astonishment, and Riley did the same. “Wait, you’re in, too?”
“Of course,” Jade replied, and gave him a tranquil smile. “What, did you think that all I drink is tea?”
Mist chuckled, nudging Riley’s shoulder. “Don’t take this the wrong way,” she mock whispered, smiling up at him, “but my money is on her.”
I grinned at the genuine fear on Riley’s face, and looked across the table. “Ember?” I asked gently. The new CEO stood beside the Archivist, watching us all with a wistful smile on her face. “What about you? Will you be joining us?”
She shook herself. “Um, give me an hour,” she replied with a rueful look at the Archivist. “Apparently, I have some other things to sign and contracts to review that cannot wait until tomorrow. But yes, afterward, I would love to join you all. Especially since this will probably be the last time I’ll ever see the light of day.”
Riley curled a lip in sympathy. “Yeah, welcome to the corporate world, Firebrand. Now you know why I left. Well, if you ever need someone to come crashing into a board meeting to shake things up, you know my number.”
Ember smiled. “I’ll remember that. Commander Sebastian,” she went on before we could leave. “Could I have a moment? It won’t take long.” She stepped back and indicated the door on the other side of the room. “Please see me in my office when you are finished here.”
My heart jumped. I turned and nodded to Tristan, who had a knowing smirk on his face. “Go on,” I told him. “Don’t wait up for me. I’ll join you when I can.”
His grin told me he wasn’t fooled in the slightest. “As you say, Commander. I’ll ‘uphold relations’ until you return. Feel free to take your time.”
Jade offered a slight bow in my direction. “Until we meet again, Commander Sebastian,” she said solemnly, and left the room with the other Eastern dragon.
Mist gave me a nod as she went by, and Wes followed her with a muttered, “Drunk lizards, this should be interesting.” They filed out of the room and shut the door, until it was only me and Riley left.
“Well.” The former rogue dragon sighed and glanced out the window, where the moon hovered over the city like a glowing golden eye. “Interesting times ahead, huh, St. George? You, the leader of the Order, me heading this new branch of Talon. And Ember sitting up here as the CEO.”
“Things will definitely be different,” I agreed. “We’re all going to face some strong opposition, but the three of us should be able to handle whatever comes up.”
Riley snorted. “Compared to what we went through this past year, I say bring it on,” he muttered. “Though Talon politics are a special kind of torture that makes you want to stab forks through your eyes. I just hope Ember can handle wrangling an entire company of fickle, ambitious, backbiting dragons. We can be ruthless dicks sometimes, if you hadn’t noticed.”
“If anyone can do it, she can. And she won’t be alone.”
“Yeah.” His yellow gaze slid to me, a grin curling one side of his mouth. “Well, then, you’d better get going, Commander. Don’t want to keep the new CEO of Talon waiting.”
I extended a hand. He gripped it firmly, watching me over our clasped fingers. “See you around, Riley.”
“Later, St. George. Looking forward to actually working with the Order. That’ll be a nice change.” He turned and sauntered toward the door, but paused after a few steps. “Oh, and tell Ember that I don’t care how much the Archivist glares at me, I’m not calling her ma’am or Madam President or anything similar. If he doesn’t like it, he can suck my tail.”
“Making friends already, I see.”
“Hey, I keep things interesting. See you around, human.” With a final grin, the former rogue leader stuck his hands into his pockets and slipped out the door, leaving me alone in the room. I smiled, shook my head and turned toward the office of Talon’s CEO.