I holstered the pistol, never so happy to see another dragon, even this dragon. Prejudice toward our Eastern cousins aside, Jade was a powerful Adult dragon who could more than take out her share of enemies if pressed. The trick was getting her to agree to fight; she would still rather meditate on a problem than blast it to cinders with flame.

“Did St. George tell you what happened?” I asked, and Jade nodded.

“He explained the...oh, what is the word? The gist of it. That you had been captured by Talon but managed to escape. That the organization has created an army of mindless clone dragons. That they are getting ready to...sic?...them on the rest of the world.” Jade’s voice grew even more grave. “It seemed a good idea to return and offer assistance before Talon wipes us all off the map.”

“What about your council? That seemed important, enough for you to drop everything and go back to China. What happened?”

Her smile became tight. “That is a story for another time, I’m afraid.” At my annoyed look, she raised a hand. “I will explain everything soon. It is a tale that needs telling. But now is not the time. There are other issues to discuss.”

“I take it you two know each other,” Mist said, and I couldn’t be certain, but there might’ve been the faintest thread of awe in her voice as she stared at the Eastern dragon.

“Yeah,” I answered, stepping aside a little. “Mist, this is Jade. She’s a friend of the soldier.”

Mist offered the Eastern dragon a respectful bow, shocking me, and Jade inclined her head in return. “Speaking of which, where is the soldier?” she asked, sweeping her gaze up the stairs behind me, as if hoping to find him on the steps. “Last I heard from him, he was impatient that we speak again.”

“He’s gone,” I said, and she looked back sharply, eyes narrowing. “But he should be back anytime now. He and Ember left this afternoon to attend a meeting with the Order.”

Jade blinked. “I’m sorry, what?” she said serenely. “Did you just say he and the girl left to attend a meeting with St. George?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Why?”

“Because the Order needs our help,” Ember said. We all jerked around to find her standing in the doorway, her eyes shining with a subtle green light as she gazed at us. “Because the Night of Fang and Fire is going to hit any night now, and I promised Garret I would return to St. George and help him fight Talon. With or without you.”

Chapter 38: GARRET

GARRET

I’m home.