“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.”

“So you have to warn the rest of the Order,” I repeated. “Warn them that Talon is getting ready to attack, and they need to prepare themselves for a full-scale invasion. This assault is supposed to be soon, in a day or two at most. The chapterhouses can’t stand alone—they’re going to need support from the rest of St. George if they want to survive.”

Martin’s face was pale now, and he nodded. “I’ll try, Sebastian,” he said. “I’ll make it my top priority to warn the rest of the Order.” His brow furrowed, and he shook his head. “But because of the infighting, and because the chapterhouses are operating individually now, it’s become difficult to send such a widespread message. Even if I can, I’m not certain they will listen. If the warning comes from me, it will be subject to immediate suspicion.”