The last person in the room was barely noticeable, his presence overshadowed by the two adult dragons. A human, I realized when I finally studied him. Thin and gangly, with a mess of brown hair and a rumpled collared shirt half tucked into his pants. By human standards, I guessed he was fairly young; maybe eighteen or nineteen. I was surprised. If he was in this room with Roth and one of the oldest trainers in the organization, then he had to know what we were. Who was this human, and what did he do, to warrant such privileges? He didn’t look like anything special to me.

“Ah, Agent Cobalt,” Roth said, rising smoothly from his chair. “Thank you for coming. Please, have a seat.” He gestured to the table, and I sat one chair down from my trainer, leaving the human on the other side by himself.

“Hello, Cobalt,” the Chief Basilisk murmured without looking at me. One corner of his lip curled in that faint, amused smile I hated. It had been more than a year since I saw him last, but he could always make me feel like a bumbling hatchling again with just a look. “I hear you’ve been doing well.”

“I’m sure you have,” I muttered as Roth sat down, smoothing his tie, then folding his hands before him on the table. “I’m sure you’ve heard all kinds of things about me lately.”

This was not smart, antagonizing my trainer in front of the VP. A few years ago, I could have expected a swat upside the head at best and a six-hour training session at worst. But the years of being cowed by him were over. I was a full-fledged Basilisk, and not only that, I was one of their best. This might be a dangerous game I was playing, but it was no more hazardous than the missions they expected me to pull off without a hitch. Let him know I wasn’t happy; I couldn’t do anything about Talon or my assignments, but I didn’t have to be thrilled about them.

My instructor’s thin mouth twitched—impossible to tell if he was angry or amused by my lack of respect—before he turned to the head of the table. The VP was watching us now, dark eyes intense.

“I have reviewed your previous assignments, Agent Cobalt,” Roth began, dispensing with the pleasantries, which was a relief. I didn’t have the patience for useless small talk about my trip and what I thought of my accommodations. “Your trainer speaks highly of you and, from what I can discern, with good reason. We have not had such a young Basilisk do so well in a long time. When we asked your trainer who was best suited for this assignment, you were his top pick. Congratulations.”