Page 19 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury (House of Embers #1)

I thought the ceremony would end with the flight, but Luther kept us there with speeches upon speeches about how the dragonsguard would protect everyone.

Throughout it all, he made sure to never say my name—an intentional slight on his part, but I couldn’t be bothered to care.

Once the crowd dispersed, Nimue darted over to my side. “I knew you’d do it. How do you feel?”

I grinned from ear to ear. “Amazing.” I got it now, why Nimue put up with Luther’s assholery. Being in the air was… nothing could compare to it.

“I’m glad you got to experience it.” Nimue smiled. “We should do a group flight.”

“Hell yeah.” Ben high-fived me. “It’s my favorite part of this whole stupid ceremony.”

“Luther’s not coming, right?” I asked.

Aurelia sniffed. “He has better things to do with his time.”

“Good. Because it’d ruin my time if he was there.”

“What do you think?” Nimue asked Kieran and looped her arm around mine. “Can we do a group flight?”

Kieran’s piercing gaze turned to me, but there was a glint in his eyes I couldn’t quite place. “Fine. But we can’t stay out long. Andova spies will be out tonight. They might come for her.”

That tidbit of information dropped the smile off my face. “I thought once the bond was secured—”

“You’re still a new rider,” he cut me off, his stormy eyes narrowing. “A weak link for the dragonsguard. Anyone with half a brain would know to come for you.”

“Don’t be such a downer.” Nimue waved him off, but there was an edge to her voice.

“Yeah, now that we know she’s here to stay, we can protect her.” Ben nodded at me.

I shouldn’t have been surprised at the shrewdness of it all, but I was. Behind that cheery grin and flirty mouth was a brain. I couldn’t let myself forget that. Still, I didn’t let it get me down. “I know where we should go. The Dragon’s Hearth.”

Aurelia wrinkled her nose. “As if we’ll—”

“Fine.” Kieran’s lips twisted into a smile. “You managed not to fall off your dragon, so you get to pick the place. We’ll do a loop around the castle, land at the edge of the capital, and then walk to the tavern.”

Of course he’d want to ensure everyone saw us. Kieran Caddel was always scheming.

The tension in my shoulders eased when I saw the familiar doors of The Dragon’s Hearth. The walk to the small, rundown tavern had been filled with curious and awed stares. It was enough to make me want to break out in hives.

“This place looks like shit,” Aurelia hissed.

“Oh, it is.” I grinned at her and threw open the doors.

The tavern, as usual, buzzed with activity.

People of all backgrounds were seated at the various tables.

Those who danced clearly had some liquid courage.

My grin widened when I spotted Brynn. She was in the middle of setting down two cups of ale for customers, but her head jerked up the moment the door opened, and her mouth went slack .

“Your friend is so hot,” Nimue blurted.

A laugh escaped my lips, surprising me. “Trust me, I know.”

Brynn’s hands shook as she rushed over and threw her arms around me. “You absolute moron,” she whispered in my ear. “I thought that dragon would send you flying.” She pulled back to glare at Kieran. “And I didn’t trust him to not stab you in the back.”

“I try not to kill unless I’m ordered to,” was all Kieran said in reply.

I could have smacked him for it. “I’m okay.” Her worried eyes searched mine, clearly not believing a word I said. “I wasn’t at first, but I’m okay. And I have a dragon watching my back.”

“The Child must have blessed you. This whole thing is insane.” She pulled back to squeeze my hands, though her eyes darted to the rest of the dragonsguard gathered around me. “Why did you come here of all places?”

“I wondered that too.” Aurelia stood tense and kept her hands pinned at her side. She probably thought staying here too long would cause ‘the poor’ would rub off on her.

I grinned and squeezed Brynn’s hands back. “I got to choose, and The Dragon’s Hearth isn’t so bad. Plus, it has you.”

“How about we do a round of shocha vials!” Ben grinned. “Do you have those here?”

My eyebrows rose. Fancy. Shocha was different from ale. It hit you a lot faster. Instead of drinking a whole cup to feel the effects, you only had to drink a small vial. Ben’s family—House Markos—was known for producing it. Though it wasn’t something peasants could usually afford.

Brynn knitted her brows together. “I can, uh, give you some from my family’s collection. Please don’t spread the word that we supply that though.”

Ben frowned. “If it’s too much—”

“It’s not!” Brynn clasped her hands together in front of her heart. “Consider it my thanks for watching out for Selena. She’s a handful!”

“Hey!”

Brynn’s smile was a lot more genuine as she left to go get the vials and the shocha.

We claimed a table tucked into the corner.

Aurelia sat by the wall, then Nimue and me.

Ben, Gareth, and Kieran sat across from us.

When Brynn returned with the vials, I stared at the clear liquid.

I’d never had shocha before. It was too frivolous of an expense.

Brynn patted my arm and left to attend to the other customers.

“That’s a bad idea if you’re a lightweight,” Kieran said, shaking me from my thoughts. “We don’t need our newest rider on the ground at a tavern because she can’t handle her shocha.”

“One shot won’t get her wasted,” Nimue countered.

“It tastes disgusting, but it’s a lot faster than drinking a whole cup of ale.” Ben grinned and raised his vial. “To not dying.”

I clinked our vials together. “And proving pompous assholes wrong.” I threw back the drink and almost immediately wanted to spit it out.

The awful taste wasn’t unfamiliar but the fire raging down my throat was an entirely different experience.

It flooded my system, sending a tingle at the edges of my brain. I met Ben’s amused gaze. “Another.”

“It’s good, right?” Ben poured us both another vial and slid one toward me. By the time I’d swallowed mine, he’d done two more shots.

Amazing. Ale never worked this fast. I slammed my vial onto the table. “Another.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Kieran’s icy voice broke my trance.

I didn’t bother looking his way. Instead, I took the offered shot, relishing in the fiery warmth.

“I won’t take pity on you tomorrow,” Kieran continued.

I took another shot and only then did I look at Kieran, arching my brow. “Am I supposed to believe you have before?”

His eyebrows shot up.

Ben’s loud laughter cut through the tension.

“She has you there!” He poured himself another vial, missing the target by a fingertip.

“Oh shit.” He laughed again. “Kieran’s boring,” Ben informed me with an easy smile.

“He doesn’t do more than sip his ale. Between you and me, I think he’s a lightweight.

” He said the last bit in a faux whisper.

“Or maybe, I’m not a child like you and know how to pace myself.”

Ben mimed getting daggered to the heart. “That hurts my feelings.”

Kieran snorted. “I won’t drink with you. Don’t forget we’re still technically on duty when we’re outside the castle.”

What a hard ass. But the warning worked, because Ben straightened a bit.

“I haven’t forgotten. But things will always be shitty.

I think we earned a night to enjoy ourselves.

” He shook his head, the serious aura fading, and passed me a vial.

“And now I finally get to bond with you, Selena, since I don’t have to worry about you dying on me.

It got real depressing the last time we held tryouts. ”

I blinked. “What?”

“Both Nimue and Aurelia were… second attempts. The other two didn’t survive the flight.

” His eyes shadowed. “By the second time, I learned my lesson. Wasn’t going to get close to some greenie who hadn’t survived her flight…

no offense.” Ben slammed back another vial and stood up.

“On that note, I’m ready to get some ass. Wish me luck.”

I barely had time to muster up a mumbled ‘good luck’ before he sauntered off, flashing a grin at the nearby men and women who’d clearly been eyeing him.

With Ben gone, I stared at my empty vial.

Warmth pulsed under my skin, and I tugged off my jacket.

Fog muddied my thoughts, steering me away from the horrifying words Ben dropped on me.

I closed my eyes and grabbed the water. But my hand slipped, and the mug tumbled off the table, spilling water everywhere.

“Don’t you dare say shit,” I hissed at Kieran .

“I got it.” Brynn appeared with a dishrag and used it to soak up the mess. She furrowed her brow at me. “Why don’t I take you in the back to get some water?” She glanced up at Kieran and Nimue. “Is that alright?”

“I’ll be right back,” I said to Nimue, slightly puzzled when she grimaced and leaned back.

“The Mother help me,” Brynn muttered and grabbed my arm, tugging me to the back. “This eases my worries a bit. If you can do something this reckless, you obviously must be in a good spot.”

I plopped onto the couch and closed my eyes. “Why is everything spinning?” I groaned. “Fucking asshole was right. This shit is strong.”

“What did I ever see in you?” Brynn huffed.

My eyes sprang open when she sat beside me. “Did they hurt you? I—I thought I fucked it all up.”

Brynn tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I had some guards following me, but they’ve kept their distance. It hasn’t been bad.”

I dipped my head down. “I’m sorry. You were right. The job was a trap.”

Brynn exhaled. “Stop that. What’s done is done. There’s no sense in tearing yourself apart. Clara’s stronger than you think.”

My eyes burned. “She shouldn’t have to be. I should be protecting her.”

“You are.” Brynn grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Stay in the dragonsguard. Listen to that scary Caddel motherfucker and get him to sing your praises. Get him wrapped around your finger, and he’ll do anything for you.”

I snorted. “He can’t stand me. And I hate him.”