Inferno (Talon #5)(37)
Surprised, I watched as he gestured to a monk, who approached me and held out a rolled piece of parchment. “One of our own was here a short time ago,” the dragon explained as I took the scroll. The paper was dry and cracked, yet surprisingly strong. “She urged us to join with the rogue dragons of the West, against your organization. I cannot help but think that she was correct all along.”
“Shen.” The older male dragon frowned at him. “We discussed this. For days. It was put to a vote, and the council made its decision.”
“Regardless,” the younger man went on, a brief flash of annoyance going through his eyes, “after she left, she contacted us a few days later, with a message to pass on to you. Specifically you.” My confusion must’ve showed on my face, for he gave a small shrug. “Do not ask how she knew you were coming—merely a hunch, she told us. But she wanted to make certain that, should you ever arrive, you received that letter.” The dragon shook his head in what could almost be awe. “Her intuitions are rarely incorrect. Were I you, Dante Hill, I would pay careful attention to what she has to tell you.”
*
The room the monk led me to was stark and empty, a cold wind blowing in from an open window. I dared a peek outside and saw the staggeringly long drop down the side of the mountain. There weren’t any chairs or even a stool to sit on, so I stood at the window with the mountain air cold against my back and unrolled the scroll. It was written in a fine, elegant script, and my name, in the blackest of inks, graced the top of the page.
Dante Hill,
If you are reading this letter, it means a gamble of mine has paid off, and that Talon has sent someone to speak to the Eastern council one last time. I suspected that it would be you. I regret that I cannot be there in person, but I must return to those who need me most.
You don’t know me; we have never met in person, but we share a common connection: your sister, Ember. I met Ember when I traveled to the United States to investigate the Order of St. George. She is a remarkable young woman. Intelligent, determined, resourceful—traits I’m sure she shares with you. My heart aches for the burden that she carries, that you both carry; war is painful enough without having to fight your own family.
I felt a strange lump rise to my throat. I never meant for Ember and I to be on the opposite sides of a war. Even now, with everything that had happened, I couldn’t think of her as the enemy. But I was the heir to Talon, and I had responsibilities I could not ignore, even for family. This person, whomever she was, seemed to understand that.
Swallowing hard, I continued reading.
You may choose to ignore my words; we are on opposite sides, after all, and I am the enemy of Talon, according to the Elder Wyrm. But, for your sister’s sake, I ask that you consider what I’m about to tell you very carefully. The Elder Wyrm has plans for Ember, plans that she does not share with you, Dante. There is no easier way to say this, so I will come out with it directly: Ember Hill was created to be the Elder Wyrm’s vessel. She intends to use your sister to extend her own life, to achieve immortality.
The scroll shook in my hands. For a moment, I considered crumpling the paper and hurling it out the open window, but I forced myself to continue reading the last few lines on the page.
If you wish to know more, I’m certain you can uncover the truth when you return to Talon; much like your twin, you are intelligent and resourceful, and the only way for you to truly realize what the Elder Wyrm plans for Ember is to discover it for yourself.
A friend of your sister,
—Jade
I folded the scroll and tucked it into my suit pocket, feeling numb.
My first reaction was that this was a trap, a scheme of Cobalt and the rogues, to target me and make me question the organization. Of course it had to be a trick. I was the heir of Talon and the second in command, poised to take over the company in a few years. The Elder Wyrm wouldn’t keep something like this from me.
And yet… I knew that was a lie. I wasn’t so naive as to think that the Elder Wyrm, the oldest, most powerful dragon in the world, would share all her secrets with me. And if this was true, what then? I couldn’t defy Talon, and I certainly couldn’t challenge the Elder Wyrm, not if I wanted to keep my position. Or even my life. I’d come too far, worked too hard, to give up everything now.
The door to the room opened with a creak and the monk stepped inside. “The council is ready for you,” he announced. “Please follow me.”
My mind spun as I walked the long hallway into the inner chamber again. Six ancient dragons waited for me with their answer for the Elder Wyrm, but I could barely focus. Besides, I knew what they were going say even before I set foot in the chamber.
“Dante Hill.” The oldest-looking dragon rose from his seat, observing me over the table. “Blood of the Elder Wyrm. You can return to Talon with this message—the Eastern council has come to a decision, and the answer is no. We will not be joining Talon, now or anytime in the future. If this results in our destruction, then so be it. Your organization will have to survive without us.”
“Very well.” I bowed to them all and stepped away, suddenly eager to leave. “I will return to the Elder Wyrm with your answer. I am sorry that we could not come to an accord, that we could not change the world together.”
The old dragon’s eyes glittered. “The world the Elder Wyrm envisions is not a world for us,” he said, and his last words followed me out of the chamber, haunting my steps. “I wonder if you yourself realize what type of world you are helping to bring about.”