“We don’t,” Martin said calmly. “I have no idea what Sebastian has been doing in the time he has been gone. But I find it hard to believe that Talon would send him to warn us of an imminent attack. Even if he is lying, is that really something you want to risk?”

“I’m not lying,” I said, facing my former brothers again. “Talon is coming for you. There is an army of dragons on its way to massacre the Order. And with the chapterhouses so isolated and fractured right now, the rest of St. George won’t be able to help. You can’t survive this alone.” I paused, taking a furtive breath, then added, “But I have friends who can help.”

“Friends,” a soldier said scornfully, his voice pulsing with hate. “You mean dragons, don’t you, Sebastian? Lizards.”

“Yes,” I replied simply as the room began to erupt again. Soldiers were swearing at me, protesting, sneering at the very idea of accepting help from dragons. Tristan stood in the corner, watching all of this, but his expression was unreadable. “Listen to me,” I urged the rest of them. “I know this goes against everything we’ve been taught, but there are dragons out there who are not affiliated with Talon. Who have broken away and are in hiding from the organization, from their own kind.”

“So what?” someone demanded. “One evil soulless lizard is just like another. What does it matter if they’re not part of Talon anymore?”

“It matters,” I said firmly, “because they don’t want Talon to succeed any more than you do. Because Talon is trying to kill them off, as well, and any dragon who is not part of the organization. But they can’t stand against Talon alone.” I looked over the sea of angry, disgusted faces and hardened my voice. “And neither can you. To have a chance at surviving this attack, we have to work together.”

“Fuck that, dragonlover!” came a voice from the crowd. “I sure as hell ain’t letting a bunch of lizards share space with me. I see a dragon, any dragon, I’ll do what I’ve always done—put a bullet through its skull.”

“No, you will not.” Lieutenant Martin stepped forward again, his expression dangerous. “If Sebastian speaks the truth,” he said into the stunned silence, “and an attack from Talon is imminent, then we must do whatever it takes to ensure we survive. Including ally with the dragons.”

“Sir.” A soldier stepped from the crowd, gazing up at Martin with an almost-pleading expression. “That’s...that’s against the Code. The Order doesn’t accept help from lizards, for any reason. If the rest of St. George finds out about this, you...all of us...” He gestured to the crowd behind him. “We could be tried for treason, sir. They might execute the lot of us for consorting with the enemy.”