The daughter of the Elder Wyrm added the final signature to the document, and the treaty was complete.
Ember took a deep breath and straightened as the papers were taken away. “It’s done,” she whispered, and rose from her seat, gazing around the table. “Thank you,” she said simply. “All of you. You don’t know how happy I am that we’ve finally come to an accord.”
Riley pushed back his seat, prompting the rest of us to rise, too. “So, what now, Firebrand?” he asked. “We defeated an army, killed the Elder Wyrm and ended a war. Where do we go from here?”
“Forward,” Ember replied. “Always forward. It’s a new day, and anything is possible.”
“Well,” Riley said, gazing around at the rest of us. “I’ve got somewhere to be soon, but I’d say this calls for a celebration, drinks on me.” His gaze fell on me and Tristan, and he grinned. “What’dya say, St. George? Not opposed to throwing a few back with a bunch of lizards, are you? If anything, I’ll bet money I can drink both of you under the table.”
Tristan scoffed. “You’re on, lizard,” he began, and caught himself. “Uh, that is, if the commander is up for it.”
I grimaced. This commander thing would take some getting used to. “We have nowhere to be until tomorrow,” I said. “I’d say establishing relations with our new allies isn’t a bad idea.” I shot Tristan a sideways look. “Though I’ll leave the drinking to you, Lieutenant. I still remember the last time you convinced me to ‘loosen up.’ My stomach still hasn’t forgiven you for that.”
“Suit yourself, Commander. Guess I’ll just have to drink for the both of us.”
“A fine idea,” Jade put in, standing up in a fluttering of robes. “Mr. Lei will be returning to the hotel room, but I believe I will join this wager, as well. In the name of strengthening alliances, of course.”
I blinked in astonishment, and Riley did the same. “Wait, you’re in, too?”
“Of course,” Jade replied, and gave him a tranquil smile. “What, did you think that all I drink is tea?”
Mist chuckled, nudging Riley’s shoulder. “Don’t take this the wrong way,” she mock whispered, smiling up at him, “but my money is on her.”
I grinned at the genuine fear on Riley’s face, and looked across the table. “Ember?” I asked gently. The new CEO stood beside the Archivist, watching us all with a wistful smile on her face. “What about you? Will you be joining us?”
She shook herself. “Um, give me an hour,” she replied with a rueful look at the Archivist. “Apparently, I have some other things to sign and contracts to review that cannot wait until tomorrow. But yes, afterward, I would love to join you all. Especially since this will probably be the last time I’ll ever see the light of day.”
Riley curled a lip in sympathy. “Yeah, welcome to the corporate world, Firebrand. Now you know why I left. Well, if you ever need someone to come crashing into a board meeting to shake things up, you know my number.”
Ember smiled. “I’ll remember that. Commander Sebastian,” she went on before we could leave. “Could I have a moment? It won’t take long.” She stepped back and indicated the door on the other side of the room. “Please see me in my office when you are finished here.”
My heart jumped. I turned and nodded to Tristan, who had a knowing smirk on his face. “Go on,” I told him. “Don’t wait up for me. I’ll join you when I can.”
His grin told me he wasn’t fooled in the slightest. “As you say, Commander. I’ll ‘uphold relations’ until you return. Feel free to take your time.”
Jade offered a slight bow in my direction. “Until we meet again, Commander Sebastian,” she said solemnly, and left the room with the other Eastern dragon.
Mist gave me a nod as she went by, and Wes followed her with a muttered, “Drunk lizards, this should be interesting.” They filed out of the room and shut the door, until it was only me and Riley left.
“Well.” The former rogue dragon sighed and glanced out the window, where the moon hovered over the city like a glowing golden eye. “Interesting times ahead, huh, St. George? You, the leader of the Order, me heading this new branch of Talon. And Ember sitting up here as the CEO.”
“Things will definitely be different,” I agreed. “We’re all going to face some strong opposition, but the three of us should be able to handle whatever comes up.”
Riley snorted. “Compared to what we went through this past year, I say bring it on,” he muttered. “Though Talon politics are a special kind of torture that makes you want to stab forks through your eyes. I just hope Ember can handle wrangling an entire company of fickle, ambitious, backbiting dragons. We can be ruthless dicks sometimes, if you hadn’t noticed.”
“If anyone can do it, she can. And she won’t be alone.”
“Yeah.” His yellow gaze slid to me, a grin curling one side of his mouth. “Well, then, you’d better get going, Commander. Don’t want to keep the new CEO of Talon waiting.”
I extended a hand. He gripped it firmly, watching me over our clasped fingers. “See you around, Riley.”
“Later, St. George. Looking forward to actually working with the Order. That’ll be a nice change.” He turned and sauntered toward the door, but paused after a few steps. “Oh, and tell Ember that I don’t care how much the Archivist glares at me, I’m not calling her ma’am or Madam President or anything similar. If he doesn’t like it, he can suck my tail.”
“Making friends already, I see.”
“Hey, I keep things interesting. See you around, human.” With a final grin, the former rogue leader stuck his hands into his pockets and slipped out the door, leaving me alone in the room. I smiled, shook my head and turned toward the office of Talon’s CEO.
EMBER
A quiet knock echoed through the office door, and I looked up from where I was leaning against the front of my desk. “Come in.”
The door swung back without a squeak, and Garret entered the room, sending a flutter through my insides. The new commander of St. George was dressed in “civilian clothes,” as they called them—slacks and a collared shirt, as they couldn’t parade through a major city in the Order’s black-and-gray uniform without drawing attention to themselves. Strangely, in the meeting only a few minutes ago, everything about him—his posture, words, the way he acted—spoke of a person of authority. But Garret had always been a leader; even among dragons, rogues and hardened soldiers, it came naturally to him. It seemed logical that he would take over what remained of the Order. He had proved himself time and time again, and his men, the soldiers of St. George, respected that.
I hoped I would prove to be as worthy.
He smiled at me as he approached, but paused a few feet away, sweeping his gaze around the room. “I’m…not entirely sure how to address the president of Talon in her office,” he said in a low voice, as if people could be listening. “I wouldn’t want rumors to spread, especially if their president is alone with the commander of St. George.”
“Don’t worry about that,” I told him, waving an airy hand. “I had the Archivist do a thorough check. No cameras in the Elder Wyrm’s office, no security devices, and the walls are completely soundproof. What the president of Talon does in her private chambers is no one’s business but her own.”