“I know.” She shivered and pulled away, hugging her arms as if cold. “That’s why I left, after all,” she went on, her voice barely audible. “Because they wanted to turn me into a killer, an assassin for Talon. They wanted me to slaughter people, not only in the war with St. George, but to silence anyone who wasn’t loyal to the organization. They expected me to take out my own kind, rogues like Riley, if they ordered it.”

I nodded, remembering an earlier conversation with Riley, how he’d said not all dragons wanted to be a part of Talon. And while he hadn’t actually come out and said what happened to the rogues who left the organization, it had been strongly implied. Suspicion rose up, mingling with the guilt. Before this summer, it had never occurred to me that there were dragons who rejected Talon’s ambitions, who wanted to be free of the organization. Dragons like Riley and Ember. Rogues hunted by their own.

I wondered how much St. George really knew about their ancient enemies. Were they truly ignorant of the rogues and the dragons outside of Talon? Or did our superiors choose to hide certain things from the rest of us?

“My old trainer, she was teaching me to be just like her,” Ember continued, interrupting my dark thoughts. “Ruthless and completely unmerciful. Someone who would kill a defenseless hatchling in cold blood if Talon gave the word. She wanted me to strike fast and never question why, to execute people without thinking about it. She wanted me to become a killer.” A shudder racked her body, and she gripped the railing, her voice a low rasp. “And now, I am.”

I moved beside her and rested an arm on the railing. She didn’t look at me, continuing to gaze at the streets below. Her posture was stiff, but I saw the grief, the helpless anger, the fear that she was becoming what she hated. The Perfect Soldier scoffed in disgust; this was a war. It was either kill or be killed. Pull the trigger before your enemy did, that was the only way to survive.

Before Crescent Beach, I would’ve agreed. Second-guessing yourself was dangerous. I had killed because the Order told me to, and I hadn’t thought twice about it. But this summer, I’d met a daring, cheerful, fiery dragon girl who had turned my world upside down. Who showed me things I’d never seen, imagined or experienced. And it might’ve been selfish, dangerous even, considering where we were now, but I didn’t want her to ever change.

“I know about the Vipers,” I said, which made Ember glance at me sharply, perhaps surprised that I knew the name of Talon’s infamous assassins. “I know what they do. I’ve seen what they’re capable of.”