Page 1 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury (House of Embers #1)

“Please don’t go,” Clara pleaded as I laced up my boots. “We don’t need the money. We’ll be fine.”

I winced as I finished tying the knots and turned to face her. Immediately my gaze went to the slight flush on her cheeks. How long had that been there? Without thinking, I pressed my hand to her forehead, but she batted it away and puffed out her cheeks.

“I’m fine, Selena. I had my morning draught.”

But I couldn’t stop frowning as I looked her over.

We were total opposites beyond both being half-starved and boney, a courtesy of living from job to job.

Everything about my kid sister was delicate.

From her full lips to her blue-green eyes.

Not to mention the illnesses she took to like a moth to the flame.

I resisted the urge to pull her sleek brown hair into a ponytail. She hated it down when she got sick.

“Of course you’re fine,” I muttered. My sister was the type of person that could be literally puking her guts out before smiling and saying she felt okay. I grabbed my dark brown jacket and flung it over my shoulders.

Clara’s frown deepened. “You don’t need to go. It’ll be dangerous. It has to be if they’re paying so much. ”

I ignored my sister’s angry look and buttoned up my jacket. I should never have told her the pay. She wasn’t stupid. This job was dangerous. “Look, I’m not sure I’m going to take it. But Randall offered me a week’s worth of food money just to attend the meeting. I have to go.”

Clara wilted. “This is different. You know it’s different. Maybe I could—”

“ No. ” I folded my arms. “You’ll catch a cold or worse. And we’re low on draughts, Clara. I can’t…” I let out a ragged breath and knelt in front of her, taking her hands in mine. “I know you don’t like this, but we can’t keep living like this.”

“Then why can’t I help? Or… or you can do another job?”

Those guilty, nervous eyes almost made me stay, but I couldn’t.

“It’s just this one job. I know you don’t like it, but I don’t want this for us, okay?

I’m tired of sleeping in the dirt and letting people treat us like shit.

After I do this job, we’ll have enough money to get a cottage and move somewhere better. ”

Clara closed her eyes. “Okay.” She took off her necklace and handed it to me wordlessly. “If you’re going to ignore me, then take the pendant with you.”

I stared at the plum blossom etched onto the pendant.

“I can’t take this.” I’d been the one to give it to her.

Mom had given it to me, and after she passed, I gave it to Clara.

Resentful as I felt towards our mother and her naivete, this was the one thing she gave to us and on her deathbed, she told me not to lose it.

“Sit down,” Clara said, her voice so soft that it didn’t sound like an order. It was only because I knew I was going directly against her wishes that I complied and let her drop the chain around my throat. “It’s your good luck charm since I can’t come with. Make sure to give it back to me.”

“You drive a hard bargain. Come on, let’s get you to The Dragon’s Hearth.

Brynn’s working tonight.” I ran my fingers along the old pendant as I stood up.

My memories of Mom weren’t the best. She let her heart ruin not just her life but mine and my sister’s.

The pendant was given to my mom by my father, some random patron at the brothel she worked at.

She always believed he’d come back for us and if something happened to her, he’d see the pendant and take us in. What a load of bullshit.

Clara exhaled and stood up, trying to hide the way her legs wobbled but doing a terrible job of it. “I don’t need a sitter.”

She was right. She wasn’t a little kid anymore now that she was eighteen.

“You won’t be able to defend yourself if someone comes in to raid the tent.

” I spared a glance at our meager belongings lying around the tiny shack we called home.

We weren’t stupid—we didn’t put everything in here, but we’d still be screwed if someone came to take our belongings.

In this rundown area of the village, it was entirely likely someone would come.

Especially if they knew Clara was by herself.

Clara’s lips pressed into a tight line but thankfully she didn’t argue. We walked past the slums and toward the heart of the village, specifically the tavern Brynn worked at. People eyed us as we passed. We were street rats, and they knew it .

I stepped into The Dragon’s Hearth, a shabby little tavern that the poor flocked to, and scanned the area.

As usual, it was packed to the brim. It took a couple minutes for Brynn to notice us since she was being worked to the bone.

Her dad was too cheap to hire outside help.

When she finally noticed us, her expression went pinched.

She sauntered over to me and grabbed my arm.

“You’re really going through with the job? ” she hissed in my ear.

“Why don’t we talk in the back?”

Brynn scoffed and swirled on her heel, stalking toward the door which led to the backroom. When we stepped into the hallway we took a right—leading us to the private office. “I see you weren’t able to convince her,” she said to Clara, completely ignoring me.

Clara sat down on the raggedy couch. The back room was such a small, cramped space, and Clara knew it well, because I frequently dropped her off here when I had jobs. “We both knew it was a lost cause. All Selena cares about is money.”

“That's not true,” I snapped. “Don't say that. Ever.”

Clara looked away.

My anger vanished in an instant. “I love you, okay? It’s not a crime to want a better life for us.” For you. Clara’s bouts of sickness kept increasing. I always feared the day her illness would come, and we’d have no money for a healing draught.

Brynn glanced between the two of us and sighed. “Alright. Are you sure you have to do this, Selena? I can ask my father if he’d hire you. ”

I couldn’t stand to look at the hope shining in Clara's eyes. “I can’t say no to this job. It’s too important. And you know your father would hire a dragon before he hired anyone of us.”

Brynn’s lips twitched. “Just be safe. If not for you, then for your sister. And for me too, I guess. I’ll be so mad if you get caught.

” She reached into the box beside the couch and pulled out a blond wig.

It was shorter than my waist-long dark brown hair, but that was an added benefit of the disguise because of how stark the differences were.

A blond wig stood out more in contrast to my light brown skin, but the combination wasn’t totally unheard of. I put on the wig and made sure to tuck in the two little strands of hair on either side of my face. The strands went just above my chin and perfectly framed my face.

A wave of nerves hit me. The wig was a necessity after I got my first wanted portrait. Every big job I took was a risk I wouldn’t make it home.

I reached into the box and applied some bright red rouge that I’d purposely left here.

I preferred the bright color, and something about it made me feel strong.

Like I could take on the world. I needed some of that strength tonight.

“I love you, Clara. I’ll return once the job is done.

It might go late so stay with Brynn until then. ”

Clara refused to look at me. I waited a bit to see if she’d respond. When she didn’t, I turned on my heel and left.

I weaved my way effortlessly through the streets.

Just another face in the crowd. That was the whole point of my job.

I wouldn’t be a good thief if I stood out.

I let the chatter of the streets wash over me and tried to shake off the knot in my stomach.

It’s for the best. Clara will forgive me when I come back with more coin than we could dream of.

I was pulled from my thoughts when a whoosh came from above, flinging fruits and vegetables from their stalls. I looked up to see a massive golden dragon flying over us and headed to the castle.

Time stopped as I stared. Beautiful. No matter how often we saw dragons go through Aesva, the capital of the kingdom of Lusadia, it would never stop being awe-inspiring. Everyone knew the name of this dragon, Umara the Unclaimed. For five hundred years, she had yet to claim a rider.

“Move!” I was entirely unprepared for the hand that came out of nowhere and shoved me to the ground. I skinned my hand as I caught myself on the cobblestone street, hissing in pain. The person ignored me and elbowed their way through the crowd, fighting to get a glimpse of the dragon.

“Are you alright, young lady?” a familiar voice asked.

“I’m fine,” I mumbled, ignoring William’s offered hand and heaving myself to my feet.

William was worse off than me and my sister, but he was always there to offer a helping hand to anyone who needed it.

Seeing his dirty, ragged clothes left an uncomfortable stone in my belly.

“Thanks.” I walked away before he could get another word in.

The crowd came alive once the dragon passed out of sight. “Umara’s been coming more often. Do you think she’s finally going to choose the seventh rider?” someone asked.

“What a load of shit. No one will become the seventh rider. Anyone who tries will get torched.”

“They stopped testing ages ago,” a shopkeeper said.

“That's not what I heard. A servant from the capital said they’re gonna ask for volunteers. Anyone can try to bond with her.”

“Anyone can try to get torched,” said the shopkeeper. “But only someone highborn will get chosen.”

“You don’t know that! What I wouldn’t give to be a part of the dragonsguard.”

One of the younger women smiled and pressed her hands to her heart. “To fight alongside King Luther would be an honor. And with Umara claimed, we can finally end Andova’s rebellion. The kingdom will be united.”

The shopkeeper snorted. “A bit optimistic, don’t you think?”