Tristan

Garret was really pissing me off today. He was pulling ranks with me and making us all wait just to make it clear, that it is he, who decides here.

And if I was honest with myself, that would have been okay, have it not concerned Madison.

Madison, who came to us with her tail between her legs after another shitty stunt from that father of hers. Jason Knight made me feel grateful for not having a father.

I stood silently behind his chair, to not give him any excuse to drag this pissing contest any longer than he initially intended and watched Madison chew and swallow her omelette piece by piece, flushing it down with tea.

Nettle watched Garret with unreadable expression on her usually open face.

I hated that I didn't know what Garret was going to say.

I hated the thought, that we... that I might end up letting her down in her situation. Oh, get it over with kid.

Finally Madison pushed her plate away and folded her arms looking at Garret expectantly.

I could see the Order breeding in her now. She might be sticking her buttocks out to tease soldiers during training, but she knew the drill. She was just as prematurely mature as all the rest of us. Forced to adhere to rules no one consulted with her ever since she could remember, so that now she waited for a verdict from her superior with bleak resignation.

A knot formed in my stomach at the sadness on her now motionless face and something like fear in her green eyes.

Madison

I suppressed shudder at Garret's order to eat. He must have known how tight my throat was ever since I left the Order's HQ for the first time yesterday...

But this was the Order, and he was the commander, future Patriarch, even if he only just started shaving, and all should submit to him. Well, submission was all I knew, so I ate and flushed the objecting lumps down with tea and then waited. Asking questions would be hurrying Garret, and that would be unacceptable.

Garret watched me with eyes hard as steel and I saw Tristan behind him but kept my gaze om Garret. Even if Tristan would have offered me a smile, Garret was to decide my fate, and right now, that was more important than sympathetic looks from his best friend, who would follow his orders weather he agreed with them or not...

"Madison." Garret spoke finally and I waited for him to say more.

"You asked for help and I would like to help you. But I'm in the middle of some bad mess with the Order being practically destroyed, Talon and your dad...Once we have the trove I'll make sure that you're included in reparations for the former soldiers. As for now I can give you a thousand pounds, it's enough to travel to anywhere in the world. Or to survive a couple of weeks until you find a job here..."

I tried not to show the shock at the thought of being alone... But would I be? Josh was here or I could go back to the States, where I could...

"Or you could help me." Garret continued.

"I really could use my own hacker, not beholden to dragons, even if they're friends. But in order for me to trust you with my life and our plans and secrets, I need a token on your side. I need to be unanimously elected to be the new Patriarch. Your dad won't let that happen. Give me a way to stop him from speaking up against me at the gathering in two days and I'll accept you into my ranks, I'll protect, feed and shelter you until you no longer wish to serve me. Although as long as the trove eludes us, the offer of one thousand could be the better option." He finished without a hint of humour in his steely eyes.

I was grateful for the omelette in my stomach as I felt slightly lightheaded from... I realised that it was fear. Fear of my father and what he would do, if I betrayed him. There would be no forgiveness, ever. And mom... Would she side with me or him? Oh, haven't she always sided with dad in the end?! I realised that Garret and Tristan were watching me intently. Nettle was texting furiously and I'd bet she wasn't writing the same person, she was writing before.

"I don't know if I can accomplish this for you. I need time to think..." I pleaded.

"Take your time, you have until sunset." Garret said and turned to St Anthony clearly dismissing me. From the guarded look on Lieutenant's I knew he was holding something back until I'd get out of earshot. So I rose and went back to my bedroom.

I barely closed the doors behind me, when a knocking sounded.

"Nettle? What is this?" I was surprised to see the girl on my doorstep, and frankly had no idea, what she could want.

"May I come in?" She asked.

"Yes, it's not even really my room." I retreated to let her in.

She sent me a surprisingly sympathetic look, before she sat down on white leather sofa and looked at me intently until I sat on a chair opposite her.

"We will help you get on your feet Madison. Before Mist went to work today, she asked me to take you to us, if Garret kicks you out. We will figure something out. You don't have to do whatever Garret asks you to do... unless you want to help him. Then it will be greatly appreciated... But if you don't, take the thousand, we're still figuring money part out." She winked to me and smiled a surprisingly warm human smile, full of white teeth and dimples.

Then she rose abruptly and turned towards the doors.

"I must return to Garret's side, but once he's in the HQ, my watch is over and I'll check up on you." She threw over her shoulder and left.

I retreated to the four poster bed with my laptop to work on whatever I could offer Garret in exchange for letting me stick around.

I knew my dad. I knew all his weak spots, even if I'd never dared to press any of these. Will I dare now? Is Garret aware of possible consequences of pissing dad off? Well he's seen dad's elaborate plan to stage a wide range of accidents and health failures for him. I hope he drew conclusions, because this was going to be ugly...

I roughly organised my strategy when Nettle knocked on the doors again.

"Jeez girl, have you been here all the time? Here, brought you a smoothie." She babbled dropping a bottle onto the coffee table and throwing herself onto a sofa with a sigh.

"Wanna go out?" She asked finally. "After you've had the smoothie." She amended quickly sensing my surprise. I suspected she was just as much keeping an eye on me as taking care of me.

"Like where?" I asked doubtfully.

Nettle shrugged.

"We could get you some clothes for starters."

"I... don't have any money." I said acutely feeling the severity of my situation.

"I'll lend you some, we shop Primarck not Harrods" she winked. "Or we could try to catch Mist on her lunch-break and ask her advice. She's kinda the brains of that operation."

"What operation?" I asked not following.

"Operation leaving Talon" Nettle said and suddenly dimmed a bit.

"Okay, let's go." I said shouldering my laptop bag.

We looked at each other standing on the gravel in front of the mansion.

"A cab?" I suggested.

"I have a better idea." Nettle smiled.

Diving towards tiny speck of greenery between towering skyscrapers and old looking buildings once again I wondered how I got convinced so easily. Maybe dragons could cloud humans minds and make them do their bidding?

Nettle thumped down beside a rather thin tree and shifted as I was getting off, so I almost fell, when the spiky back I was sliding off suddenly disappeared.

"See, no traffic, no parking." She said smiling and strode towards a path not further than ten steps away from where we landed.

I hurried after her noticing people eating their lunch on benches in this small pocket of greenery in the area dominated by offices. They didn't seem to pay us any attention though. So I said nothing as I followed Nettle through crowded streets.

The place was full of people wearing strange combination of suits and sneakers. Mist sat on a barstool at a narrow and short, shiny wooden table next to a window showing a busy street outside. The place was packed and two stools on the other side of the table were the only free seats.

"I have half an hour left." Mist said before we sat down.

"I'll have a club sandwich and freshly pressed orange juice." Nettle said sitting down and placing her purse on the table beside her.

"I'll have the same." I said too overwhelmed to care.

Mist caught waiter's gaze and ordered sandwiches for us and a Cesar salad for herself.

Then she said to me.

"Garret isn't happy with you anymore, huh? Don't worry, no boy... or man should decide what you do with your life. It's annoying that I have all that work to do today, but Nettle is capable..."

"Thank you." Nettle rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, you know I mean it." Mist said and turned back to me.

"Whatever you choose, you can live with us to start with and take it from there." She actually smiled reassuringly at me!

I should have been suspicious, dragons trying to whisk me away. But I felt safe, I trusted them. It should've been alarming, but instead it felt just right. So I decided to trust myself this time.

"I already decided. I think I have information, that can secure Garret's election and I'll assist him in any way possible. But thank you. I... I would love to stay in touch even if we don't live together..."

"That's great!" Nettle said and looked genuinely happy.

"Yes Madison, we wouldn't pressure you to go against your dad..." Mist started seriously "but Garret is important. It's good you're helping him."

She said important not important to us...

"Why?! Why is he so important?" I didn't get it.

Mist and Nettle exchanged looks and the latter answered.

"We're not sure. It's a theory and I'm still figuring this out, but Garret is the key to something big." She answered lamely and I knew she wasn't telling me everything.

"It's a very... big story, that we don't have time to unfold right now. And we don't have all the pieces of the puzzle yet. But we will gladly walk you through it, when we're not in public and have some more time." Mist added with uncharacteristic openness.

I felt warm, I was important enough for these dragons to let me on something... big. I was beaming when the waiter brought my sandwich. The rest of the meal we talked about where we could shop before Nettle picks Garret up. Apparently the Order's HQ was in a zone that seriously damaged dragon magic so dragons couldn't guard him there. But also they didn't need to, because Talon couldn't send dragons there either, and soldiers of St George should be enough to protect their leader from human attack. I thought about my dad and a cold shiver ran down my spine, but I decided to keep my doubts to myself... for now.

Tristan

"Tell St Christopher to get ventilation checked I get a headache after a quarter here." Garret said after the doors closed behind another surviving soldier, who wanted to meet the Patriarch candidate. Thankfully Garret's current rank prevented most soldiers from questioning him.

"Do you now? I'm fine." I answered absentmindedly and then snapped to attention.

"Unless..." I lowered my voice "you have dragon blood in you!" I whispered. "Whatever protection is here is probably repelling it..."

"Okay, but check that air too, would you?" Garret answered, but he looked worried.

We stayed at QH all day, shaking hands, speaking important and dear names, and reassurances. It was past eleven, when Garret finally called it a day. We walked over to meeting point with Mist, who drove one of former Patriarch's luxurious cars. Garret started shaking as soon as he sat down on the back seat.

"What happened?" Mist asked worried.

"Nothing I'm just tired."

"The HQ gives him headache, I think it can have something to do with anti-dragon protection." I told her about Stealth's accident and Garret's transfusion.

"Hmm I'll... think about it." Mist said frowning.

At the mansion lights were up and we followed sounds of conversation to the kitchen where Madison and Nettle were setting the kitchen table with some food.

"We picked up some Chinese, there's extra if you want." Madison said, looking relaxed and even happy.

She was dressed in blue wrap dress and leather sandals, gone were crumpled clothes from the morning. Her hair and eyes shone and I was both relieved and suspicious.

"Is the food poisoned?" Garret asked flatly.

"No!" That was Nettle, Madison just blushed and dimmed slightly.

"Thank you." I said washing my hands in the sink

"Do you need help with anything?" I added.

"No, it's all set. Seat down." Madison said sitting down herself.

"If you dare." Nettle sneered slightly.

Mist sat down too.

Food was satisfying and sometime under the meal Garret loosened up a bit. Warm kitchen with wooden and tile floors, copper pans and pots shining on the walls, large cold stove and windows reflecting our own image created an illusion of home. Not my home, that I never had, other than within the Order's routines, hierarchies and code. No, a home from an orphans dream I guess. Smiles and ease and warmth and beauty... I noticed that Madison was watching me and smiled to her. Surprisingly, she smiled back before she turned to Mist to whisper something and giggle.

I felt sudden stab at the thought, that she might be leaving here tonight with a thousand pounds and I wouldn't be going with her. Even though all I wanted was to protect her and help her, Garret needed me more... I resented his request. I understood it, I'd have applauded it, has it been anyone else but Madison...

In the end the food was eaten and Mist stood up to make girls some tea.

"I think I can help you." Madison said to Garret.

"Three years ago, my father accepted a commission by… an external client. He used the Order's soldiers and equipment to raid a compound of some Colombian drug gang... Three soldiers died and the objective was not secured, the client never paid. I have all the emails exchanged with the client until he evaporated." Madison finished and took her laptop from where it lay on the window sill.

"I'll leave you to it." Nettle said and stood up to help Mist. They talked about something in low voices.

Garret leaned forward to look at Madison's laptop, he seemed more rested than before. I focused on Madison showing documentation of Commander Knight's disgraceful endeavours and laying out a strategy to blackmail the bastard.

I barely noticed when Nettle left with "see you guys" over her shoulder.