Page 17 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury (House of Embers #1)

“A leading theory was that it’s magic’s attempt to better match us for our dragons.

Though they live so much longer than that.

Umara’s over seven hundred, and she’s still going strong.

” She kissed Thaleia’s temple and stood up.

“Alright, you look good enough for us to go. We can’t afford to get caught down here. ”

My ears rang. I looked into Umara’s calm eyes.

Seven hundred years. The transformation wasn’t something I could control or opt out of.

Seven hundred years. I stood up, heavily aware of Umara’s piercing gaze.

She sent soothing cascades of warmth down the bond, but it did little to erase the chill creeping down my spine.

It was almost a relief to step away and enter the passageway once more. “I still don’t get how you can stand it. Not just the, uh, extra years, but you’re sentencing yourself to being in Luther’s presence. How can you follow that man, even with Thaleia?”

That stopped Nimue in her tracks. “He’s the king.

And it’s not too bad if you stay out of his way.

Plus, only a select few can and will join the dragonsguard.

Like it or not, we’re important for the country’s defenses.

Andova or Lusadia—only one of us will come out on top.

Have you been out of the capital? See, so you don’t know how destructive dragon fire truly is.

It’s awful. We don’t have border towns anymore because of that.

Not like how we used to. I don’t just want my freedom.

I want the country to be free from this endless cycle.

But I know it’s hard for you to understand.

You didn’t grow up expecting to care for a whole land of people. ”

I bit back a retort. She wasn’t trying to insult me, and she wasn’t talking down to me. In fact, she spoke the truth. Clara was my only priority. “I don’t know how I can work for him, let alone forgive him.” Luther was the reason I couldn’t see my sister.

She knocked her shoulder against mine. “You don’t have to forgive him.

But think about a month from now, not just tonight.

Your sister is safe. She has a roof over her head and warm food every night.

Would you rather she stay like that or be on the streets with you?

” She ran her hand along the walls. “You don’t have to answer that.

It just helps me when I’m feeling… unsettled.

And you know what helps me go on even though Luther’s a total bastard? ”

I snorted. “What?”

“Him and Aurelia are gonna have a child someday, and we’re going to be heavily involved in that child’s life. So I’m playing the long game. It’s my mission to ensure that child isn’t going to be a little asshole.”

“That’s stupid.”

Nimue smacked my arm. “It’s not stupid. You wouldn’t know, but the parents almost never raise their child.

It’s all nannies and allies. I spent half of my childhood at Aurelia’s and then a few at Kieran’s.

And those two, they have no interest in raising a child.

It’ll only be for duty.” She wrinkled her nose.

“That makes no sense.”

She laughed. “Well, it keeps me going. Whenever that demoness hatches a child, you’ll see. I’ll be right there waiting.”

My renewed strength didn’t last long, and I was practically dying during training. My strength was so pathetic that even Kieran didn’t bother yelling at me when I lagged behind our laps. It was hard to worry about potential assassins when I was so sure that training would kill me first.

“This is pathetic,” Aurelia said when I finished my final lap and gasped for breath.

I raised my hand to give her a vulgar gesture and staggered toward the others. Or tried to. The world slipped out from under me. My vision went blurry. I was unconscious before I hit the ground.

When I came to, my pounding headache was back. I wasn’t sure where I was. Pain had me in a chokehold and wasn’t about to let up anytime soon.

“—stubborn…. refused to die,” a dry voice said.

“It’s admirable.”

“More like annoying.”

“Are you willing to admit…”

“I won’t get distracted.”

“You can’t just—”

“I will.”

“Please…”

The darkness took me once more. This time, when I woke up, it was to Umara’s roar. And I realized… the sound wasn’t from inside my head. And not only that… it was close. Too close. My eyes sprang open, and I jumped out of bed.

I was in the healing ward in the dragonsguard wing and outside the massive ceiling-to-wall window was Umara, sitting on the pavilion—made specifically for an emergency dragon landing.

Her golden scales glittered so bright, I had to squint.

Warmth pulsed down the bond, but I was too busy gaping like an idiot to focus on that as she leveled me with an intense stare and ruffled her wings. “What. The. Fuck?”

“She’s lost her patience,” Nimue said from behind me.

I spun around to see her grinning from ear to ear. “What… happened?” My legs felt like a baby fawn, and I pressed my hand against the wall for balance.

“Gareth and I told Luther, but he didn’t listen.

Now Umara’s done being nice.” She snickered.

“She rammed herself against the castle when we were loading you in. Only when Luther said you’d bond later did she stop.

” Smugness and worry shot down the bond.

I glanced at the window. Umara opened her mouth—fire brimming deep in her throat.

“Someone open the window!” a guard yelled.

Nimue was already there, throwing open the panels.

Umara chuffed smoke her way and then leaned forward to nudge her head against my temple. After a minute of nuzzling against me, she glared at a pale-faced Nimue and then shuffled back to her spot on the porch. What a menace. I loved her for it .

Nimue expelled a breath and only moved when Umara was firmly outside the room. Then she pulled me into a hug. “Glad to see you’re up. It was touch and go for a bit, even when Umara showed up. No one’s gone unbonded for this long. I really thought Luther was going to be ash in the wind.”

“If only she’d done it.”

“Careful now, you don’t want the wrong person to overhear,” a familiar voice said.

I scowled at Kieran, who had that infuriating smirk on his face. “What do you want?”

Kieran kicked off the wall and prowled over to me. “Luther requested a private audience with you as soon as you awakened. Might want to keep that poisonous tongue of yours in check. He doesn’t appreciate it like I do.”

I stalked past him. “Whatever. I’m not a moron.” How could I be intimidated when Umara just made everyone her bitch? My lips twitched at the thought. The common area wasn’t empty like I expected it to be. Luther sprawled lazily on the couch and glanced up when I entered. My mouth dropped. “Why…”

Kieran huffed a laugh. “What was it you were saying about not being a moron? If you allowed me a chance to respond, I would have told you he decided to wait here.”

I flushed. “Shut up.” I studied the king.

His unease was obvious despite his relaxed position.

A mask, and a poor one at that. His shoulders were too tense.

His eyes narrowed when he noticed me, and I bared my teeth in a smile.

“King Luther, I didn’t expect to see you.

I know Nimue told you earlier I needed to complete the bond, but I bet you were hoping I’d croak before that happened.

” The temperature in the room dropped, but I acted like I didn’t care as I folded my arms and plopped into the chair across from him.

Luther grabbed his chalice on the small table in front of the sofa. “If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead. Everyone, out. ”

I felt a childish sense of victory when Kieran obeyed. Once everyone went to their rooms, I met the king’s hard gaze. “It’s not very common for a king to visit a commoner.” I could hear Clara screaming at me in my mind, but I shoved it down. It was because of him that I was in this position.

A muscle popped in his jaw. “Some kings consider it a slight. You’ve wasted my time.”

I arched a brow. “I would have met you, but I’m feeling rather weak.

Something I don’t have control over since I’ve been refused the chance to bond with my dragon.

” Umara’s low growl echoed from the healing hall.

I didn’t bother to hide my smile. Maybe it was stupid and a little bit reckless, but if I rolled over like he wanted me to, I’d never gain the upper edge.

He wanted me to be his warrior and to let him use me.

I’d be damned if that happened without me getting something back, like my sister being returned to me.

“Considering a few weeks ago, you were a traitor to the crown, I believe you can forgive my hesitation.”

Definitely not, but I bit my tongue. “I do.”

He smiled, all satisfied and smug. “I believe we’ve waited long enough. It’s time to bond with your dragon.”

Oh really, you think it’s time? More like Umara does. But I kept my expression perfectly blank. “After I bond with Umara, will I still be treated like a prisoner?”

The smile fell from his face. Good. “It was only two days ago, you struck my fiancé, your future queen. If anyone else did so, they would have been executed.”

I leaned forward. “But I’m not anyone. I’m a dragonsguard.” And she totally had it coming.

His hand tightened on his chalice. “The seventh rider is a necessity. Andova is using your presence as an excuse to attack, but they were always going to strike. And the gryphons have become even more of a nuisance. The kingdom needs your cooperation for everyone to thrive.”

I almost laughed in his face. As if ‘ protecting my country’ would ever convince me. I didn’t give a fuck about the country. “My sister. I want to see her.”

Luther set his chalice down. “Not yet. Once you have completed the bond, I will allow open communication between you two, but you can’t meet. Not yet.”

It’s not forever. I had to fight the urge to bite back. Baby steps. If he thought letters would appease me for long, he had another thing coming. Stop being so impulsive. It’s not just your life at stake. “Thank you.” I had to force the words out.

He nodded and reached into his coat. “You’ll bond with your dragon in an hour. In the meantime, here’s a letter from her. Despite your traitorous behavior, I didn’t burn everything. You got lucky that your punishment is ending early.”

My hand trembled as I took it. I made a beeline to my room and slammed the door behind me. The seal was broken, but I didn’t care. It was like everything else stopped existing. Energy returned to my limbs.

Dear Selena,

I’m doing well. They’re teaching me all sorts of things. There’re so many books here. It’s incredible how many they have. I don’t understand how they have so much.

Don’t worry about me, Selena. I like it here. Everyone is really nice and so is Wes. Really, it’s weird how nice everyone is at times. But I like it. I just wish you could be here with me. It’s not complete until you are.

Still… I think… I think Mom would be happy to see me here, all things considered. It’s more than you and I could have dreamed of.

I love you. Stay strong and don’t cause trouble,

Clara

P.S. When we do get to see each other, if you need anything mended, I’m learning how to sew, and I’d love the chance to apply my new skills! (Please don’t expect anything professional though!)

I clutched at the letter. I wanted to believe in it with all my heart.

If it was true, it changed everything. Nimue and everyone else had hinted at it.

Clara, if she was happy, then she’d be better off there, my own happiness be damned.

But what if it’s a lie? What if someone’s forcing her to write this ?

I had to see for myself. Letters could be faked. But the only way to see her was to get the king to trust me. I stared down at the crooked script. Fuck me. I needed to politic. Once I got to see my sister, that’d determine if I went scorched earth on Luther’s ass.