Ignoring him, I closed my eyes, gathering my resolve, then looked up at my brother again. “Let them go,” I said firmly. “You win, Dante, but I’m setting the terms now. No one dies, that’s my proposal. You want me to come back to Talon?” I gestured behind me. “Swear to me that you’ll let them live, and I’ll go with you tonight.”

“Ember!” Riley snarled, and I spun on him, furious.

“Let me do this, Riley,” I snapped, desperate to convince him. “We can’t win this one. Even if we fight, they’re just going to kill you and take me back, anyway. At least this way, I’ll know you’re alive. You and Garret both. Please.” My gaze went to the soldier, standing rigidly beside him. “Don’t fight them,” I whispered, lowering my voice so only Garret and Riley could hear. “Don’t throw your life away. There’s too much at stake now. Look around you.” I made a tiny gesture at the army of dragons at my back. “Someone has to fight this. Someone has to warn the rest of our world what Talon has done. The underground, St. George, everyone will be affected. Who knows how many of these things Talon has?”

Garret came forward. His expression was tormented as he stared at me, but he didn’t argue. He knew, just as I did, that we couldn’t win. “And what about you?”

“I’ll be all right,” I whispered. “They’re not going to kill me, not with all the trouble they’ve gone through to take me alive. I don’t know why they want me so badly, but if I have to go back, I’m damn sure going to get something out of it.” Stepping close, I put a hand on his cheek, gazing into his eyes. “I can’t watch you die,” I whispered. “Not when there’s something I can do to stop it. At least, this way, you’ll still be free.

“If Talon wants me to come back,” I continued, raising my voice again, making certain Dante could hear every word, “they’re going to let you go. If not, if they try to kill you here, I swear I will fight this army till my last breath, and I will take down as many dragons as I can. They’re going to have to kill me to get me to stop.” I turned then, facing my brother, who still watched imperiously from the balcony. “I’ll come back with you,” I said. “But only if you let Garret and Riley go. That’s my bargain, Dante. Either we all leave this room alive and unharmed, or none of us do.”