Julie Kagawa - Inferno - the thrilling final novel in the Talon saga from New York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa

“You’re looking at them,” I said, trying very hard to keep the growl out of my voice. “There’s no need for threats, Lieutenant. We’re standing right here.”

Ward’s gaze jerked to me. For a moment, his pale eyes widened as he took me in. “You?” he said in disbelief as I raised my chin and stared him down. “You’re a girl. A child.”

“Yes, because dragons hatch fully formed out of the egg,” Riley broke in, the smirk on his face not quite able to mask his anger. “Already grown and hungry for human souls. They certainly don’t start life as innocents. Where would the Order be if they knew half the dragons they’re slaughtering are kids who haven’t hurt anyone?”

“Innocents?” Ward’s face twisted so hard I thought he might be having a seizure. “That’s like saying fire is cold or a wolf is a vegetarian. There is no such thing as an innocent dragon. I don’t care if they’re five or five hundred, every soulless lizard will get the exact same treatment—a bullet to the back of its skull. If I can kill them while they’re young, that’s one less dragon to plague humanity when it’s an Adult.”

I felt Riley’s fury rise like an inferno, felt the subtle shift of energy that said Cobalt was very close to the surface, ready to burst out and char this insufferable human to ash. “You wanted to see us,” I said quickly, before things spiraled out of control and someone ended up shot or incinerated. “Here we are. Was it actually for a purpose, or did you just want to throw insults in our faces?”

Ward’s jaw tightened. “I would prefer bullets to insults, but that will have to wait for the moment.” His pale eyes narrowed, and he stepped around the table, looming over me. I felt Garret lean close, as well, his presence bolstering me as I stared up at the lieutenant. “Why are you here, dragon?” the officer demanded. “Martin says you are not part of Talon, but even if that were true, it does not explain why you have chosen to seek out your enemies. Why did you risk coming here? What do you hope to gain from the Order of St. George?”

I met his gaze. “Hasn’t Martin told you?”

“Some things.” The officer’s voice was unyielding. “But I want to hear it from the dragon’s mouth. I want to hear it from you.”

“Well, that’s too bad,” Riley broke in. “Because I don’t feel like telling you a damn thing, St. George. Maybe if you hadn’t called me a soulless demon we’d be more inclined to share. As is, I’m not about to reveal anything to someone who might shoot us all in the head, or the back.”

I hesitated. I could feel Riley’s gaze burning the side of my face, hard and angry. Don’t tell him anything , it was saying. Certainly I could understand his reluctance. Letting this man set foot on an island of breeder dragons seemed like a very bad idea, as was letting him know that we now had what could be a very powerful weapon in our possession. How much had Martin already revealed? If he hadn’t told Ward our plans, I didn’t want to be the one to fill him in.

I exhaled. If we refused to say anything, that would only foster more mistrust and enmity between dragons and St. George. I didn’t like this man; in fact, I was pretty sure I hated him. He was everything that was wrong with the Order, all their the bigotry, elitism and narrow-mindedness rolled into one awful human being. I didn’t want to answer any of his questions. But that wouldn’t help our cause. It wouldn’t help the numerous breeder dragons trapped on Talon’s horrible island. I knew that, around this human, I had to be very cautious, but I could still attempt to be civil.

I felt a slight brush against my arm—Garret, quietly letting me know he was still there. I drew strength from his touch. Garret would be able to do this , I thought. Even in the face of constant, blatant hatred from the very people he used to know, when they were screaming for his execution and calling him all sorts of terrible things, he could still be calm and polite. I would never have his patience, but I knew that there were issues larger than myself and my feelings. For now, anyway, I would be the bigger person and not tell this human what he could go do with himself.

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?”