I slammed my fist on the table, making Wes and several of the hatchlings jump. “Just like that, huh?” I said as they all looked at me. “Join the Order and go fight Talon’s army with them? March merrily off to war with my underground and all my hatchlings—that’s what you’re suggesting?”

“Not all of them,” Ember said. “Only the ones who agree to come.” She turned from me then, taking a step forward to face the group of hatchlings. “I’m not going to force anyone to fight,” she told the room. “But you should have the choice. You should know what we’re up against, and what we can try to do to fight. We can’t keep running and hiding. We have to take a stand.”

“Stop it, Ember.” I stepped forward, as well, furious. “Why don’t you tell them the truth?” I looked past her into the living room, at the sea of tense faces, and narrowed my eyes. “If you fight Talon and St. George, you’re going to die,” I said, and saw several of them stiffen. “This is a war. It’s not like television or the movies. There’s nothing romantic or honorable about it. It’s bullets and blood and chaos and death, and neither side has any qualms about gunning you down or tearing you apart. You’ve all seen St. George. You know what they’re like. And Talon is even worse. If we go charging into a war zone, we’re going to be killed.”

“We’re going to be killed, anyway, Riley.” Ember’s voice, though remorseful, was unyielding. “Sooner or later, whether you like it or not, the war is going to catch up. Talon isn’t going to stop. Whatever they’re planning, it’s happening now.” She faced the group of hatchlings once more, raising her voice. “We can either go out and face it head-on, or we can wait for it to come and kill us. Once Talon destroys St. George, none of us will ever be safe again. We can’t run from this any longer. It’s time to start fighting back.”

“No,” I said firmly, and stepped away from her. “I’m sorry, Firebrand. But I can’t. I’ve spent the past decade trying to protect this underground, to take the risks so they wouldn’t have to. I’ve already lost too many, to both Talon and St. George. I can’t in good conscience send them out to fight, knowing that they’re probably going to die.” She gazed at me, the look on her face devastatingly blank. “I’m sorry,” I said again. “But there are some lines I won’t cross. This is one of them. Hate me if you want, Ember, but we’re not going to fight a battle we can’t win. We’re not going anywhere. St. George will have to get by without us.”