“Shit,” I growled, pressing a hand to my forehead. My skull throbbed, probably from the whack I’d taken, courtesy of a rifle butt to the side of the head. The motion also revealed another fun discovery: thick metal cuffs were locked around my wrists, heavy-duty manacles made for gorillas and Frankenstein’s monster. Blearily, I lowered my arms, waiting for the cobwebs in my brain to clear out. How I got here was kind of fuzzy. I remembered being surrounded by an army of robot-like dragons, feeling utterly helpless as Ember bargained with her slimy brother for all our lives. I remembered the look on her face as she watched us leave, unable to stop her, or save her, knowing there was no way in hell that Talon would just let me go.

Turns out I was right. The soldier and I hadn’t gone a hundred yards when a squad of a dozen armed clones appeared from nowhere, surrounding us. While half of them pointed assault rifles at our faces, one pair had dragged me forward and shoved me against a brick wall. I was already injured, furious at the betrayal, and didn’t exactly appreciate being manhandled by two soulless humans, so I might’ve snarled and elbowed one in the face as hard as I could. Which might not have been the brightest of ideas, as the other had instantly responded by clocking me in the temple with the butt of his gun. That was the last thing I remembered.

“You awake?” came a familiar voice in the corner.

“Yeah,” I muttered, raising my head to peer at my surroundings. Unsurprisingly, I was sitting on the floor of a small, dark cell. The walls were made of steel, there were no windows and the heavy, barred door at the front looked like it could stop a charging buffalo. A pair of cots were set into one wall, bunk-bed-style, but both were empty. St. George sat against the opposite wall watching me, manacled hands resting on his knees.

“How long was I out?” I rasped.

“Hard to tell. At least a few hours, and most of that was the drive. We haven’t been in here very long.” His gaze narrowed. “They stuck you with a needle while you were unconscious,” he told me, making my stomach churn. “I’m guessing it’s something that prevents you from Shifting.”