Page 2 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury (House of Embers #1)

“The dragonsguard will save us all,” the woman insisted. “King Luther knows how important they are. That’s why he’s going to allow anyone to claim Umara. I know it in my heart.”

I rolled my eyes and walked away from the crowd.

I didn’t care for the dragonsguard or the politics with Andova—the southern kingdom that broke off from us after two twin princes got greedy one hundred years ago.

People cared too much about this. The crown would never allow a lowborn to claim a dragon .

I used their distraction to steal two wallets before heading to my meeting.

It was all the way out in the slums, in an even poorer region than my own tent.

From the outside, it was nothing impressive but inside was crowded with four burly men and Randall, the town’s information broker.

He didn’t look intimidating, but his calculating and shrewd mind made him so.

In this cramped little tent where everyone stood, this scrawny man held all the power and he knew it, reveled in it.

“You made it.” He smirked at me. “Just when I thought you weren’t going to show up.”

I scoffed. “There was no way in hell I was going to miss this meeting.” I thrust my hand forward. “But I took a big risk coming here, and I was told there would be payment for showing up. So…” I made a grabbing motion with my hand.

Randall rolled his eyes but handed over a coin purse. I snatched it from him, counted every coin, and then stuffed the coin purse in my breastband.

“Why is this scrawny street urchin here?” one of the older men asked.

I clenched my jaw and reached into my boot. “I can easily show you my skills, but I don’t think you’d like a knife in your thigh.”

The man raised his brows. “Kitty’s got claws.”

Rage simmered under my skin. “Go ahead, keep pushing my buttons. It’s more money for me if I slice your belly open.”

“Leave your arguments out on the field, please.” Randall folded his arms, his eyes glittering. “This meeting was facilitated not by me, but by Raven. They know you’re the best. That’s why they are hiring you to do this job. If you accept it.”

I arched a brow. “And just what is the job?” Alarm bells rang in my mind. Everything about this was sketchy. You don’t get paid just to attend a meeting. That wasn’t normal. And yet… Clara needs me. She needs more medicine.

One more job. Then we’ll leave. But the argument was weak, even to me. If Raven contacted me again with the same amount of coin offered, I’d stick my neck out once more.

“There will be a royal carriage passing through Willow’s Peak at midnight. Raven wants you to intercept them before they reach town. Inside the carriage will be a treasure chest. Your job is to take the chest and deliver it to a blue tent with a red patch on its righthand side.”

I straightened. “Where’s the tent?”

Randall’s lips curved into a smile. “I don’t know where it is, nor do I want to. If you get caught… death is the least of our troubles. So, do you agree to the job?”

The coin purse in my breastband felt impossibly heavy. “If we succeed, what happens after? Will there be any more jobs after this?”

Randall glanced at our hopeful faces with the shrewdness of a man who saw opportunity. “Perhaps. Raven has stated their interest in hiring anyone who does a good job. But that’s up to their discretion and only if you succeed. ”

I folded my arms. “I’ll do it.”

“Job sounds simple enough. I’m in as well,” the older man said.

“Me too.”

“Same here.”

“We’ll get it done.”

“The five of you can discuss specifics, but I’d prefer not to know,” Randall said and motioned for us to leave.

The older man nodded. “We’ll be in the forest. See you there, girl.”

I rolled my eyes and let the other men file out before I turned to Randall, who pulled out a small notebook from his satchel. “Have you met Raven?”

Randall closed the book. “I’d be a terrible broker if I turned on my clients.”

I leaned forward, stepping into his space. “Is it legit?”

His green eyes met my dark brown ones. “Do you think I can answer that?”

I scowled. “Cut the bullshit. You and I have been through some shit.” Randall might have been a piece of shit, but he was the one who got me started on these jobs.

He was the reason I got my sister through the winters when her illness always reached its peak, and she needed medicine to weather the worst of it.

Hell, we even hooked up a few times. I’d never call him my friend.

We were allies first and foremost, and the two of us had helped each other reach the top.

At only twenty-two, I was one of his best contract thieves, and Randall practically controlled the underbelly of Aesva.

Randall jammed his book into his satchel.

“You can’t keep bringing up the past when it benefits you.

I haven’t run into Raven directly. They’re careful as fuck and send messengers to other messengers like some paranoid highborn asshole.

But I did my research. They have a high body count surrounding them, but they’re legit. They’ll pay you if you survive.”

‘If you survive.’ I loosed a breath. “Okay.” I turned on my heel and left but not before scanning the area. First to see if there were any of Raven’s goons, and the next, to find the tent. I didn’t find any obvious suspects, but I found the tent. At least that was something.

I didn’t waste time heading toward the forest and meeting up with the rest of the men.

The assholes hadn’t wanted to introduce themselves.

It was only for the sake of the job that I forced myself not to snap so I could get their names.

The older man was Alton and the others were Conrad, Drustan, and Pascal.

I didn’t give out my name, and since they didn’t ask, there was no need to use my typical fake name: Sadie.

“We’re not playing games, girl,” Alton said as I climbed one of the willow trees. “It’s a rookie move, being this overzealous.”

“Not a rookie. There’s a reason I don’t have any T’s on my hand.” I looked down pointedly at Pascal’s ‘T’ tattoo branded onto his hand—signifying him as a thief to the world.

Pascal scowled but remained silent as he sharpened out his blade.

I climbed higher until I found the perfect perch—keeping me out of their eyesight but giving me a good view of below.

We’d already gone over the plan. They would provide the distraction, and I’d slip inside the carriage and get the chest. I had ignored their insistence on using my ‘feminine wiles’ to distract whatever highborn was inside the carriage.

A good fist to the face or flashing of my knife would get any spoiled highborn to behave.

“Sure are silent,” Conrad said to me from his spot at the bottom of the willow tree.

I exhaled. “Because I’m not interested in getting to know anyone here. You heard Randall. This isn’t a job we’re all coming back from.”

“Or maybe you’re just too weak to protect yourself, girl. Me and my men are coming back, and we’re splitting your share when you fuck up,” Alton bragged.

“There was no reason to hire you.” Drustan slapped a hand on Alton’s shoulder. “We’re used to working as a team. Unlike you.”

It took a great amount of restraint not to snap at him. It was only because of the money that I let it slip. Time crawled by, and I let the others’ chatter wash over my head. Very few carriages passed by.

Willow’s Peak was a difficult terrain, so it was one of the lesser used roads. But it made sense for them to take this one if they were trying to be discreet. Normally no one would dare lay a hand on a royal carriage. If I got caught, I’d get whipped bloody.

Think of the money. Think of Clara.

The distant sound of a carriage made my heart thump. I coiled my body, ready to jump down at a moment’s notice. “Don’t fuck this up,” I hissed down at Conrad and Drustan.

The royal white and red carriage came into view, pulled by the finest horses I’d ever seen. The coachman had a lamp perched beside him, the light highlighting the obvious tension on his face. My stomach coiled as the men jumped out from behind the shadows and surrounded the carriage.

By the time I made my way down, Alton held a knife to the trembling coachman’s throat. “If you don’t want to die, you’re going to sit back and let us take what we want.”

I made sure to pull my hood over my head and let the tips of my blond wig hang down. Might as well start my cover story.

The coachman’s eyes went to me. “P-please. We surrender.”

“Pathetic.” Drustan chortled. “Get the goods, girl. We don’t have all day.”

I bit my tongue and jerked a nod, walking over to the carriage.

Taking a deep breath, I kicked open the door and stepped inside with my blade raised.

Whatever I’d been expecting, it wasn’t this.

Inside the cushy carriage was a lone man who sat back against the cushioned seats with his arms folded.

An aura of complete ease surrounded him .

My first thought was that he was one of the hottest men I’d ever seen.

His lips twisted in a slight smirk, and his legs were lazily crossed, the picture of total control.

With his windswept black hair, warm tawny skin, and stormy gray eyes—the man was the picture of otherworldly and ethereal.

His form-fitting leather outfit hugged his lean muscles.

But my attention went to his bare arms. Specifically, the swirling black tattoo that went from the tips of his hands all the way up to just under his jaw.

A Rider’s Mark .

The Mother help me. It all came crashing down at once.

This dangerous man who commanded the world’s attention was a dragon rider.

And not just any dragon rider. He was Kieran Caddel, the king’s righthand man and executioner.

His Gift, the magic given to him because of the bond with his dragon, put him in a league of his own.

Kieran Caddel could manipulate shadows at will.

It was said he could end a battle in seconds.

Not only that, he’d actually killed a dragon when he was merely a teen.

Our eyes locked, and I could see the exact moment he knew I made the connection.

His smile was practically feral and full of cruel delight.

Heat filled my body, jolting it to attention.

The Father spare my sister from suffering.

Only a god could help her now. I certainly wouldn’t be around to.

At this point, I could only hope for a swift death.

The moment between us was cut off by an animalistic screech.

A wall of heat rose, making me feel as if my skin was boiling.

But I couldn’t take my eyes away from Kieran.

It was like I was completely under his spell.

My blood ran cold, and I trembled as I listened to the horrifying screams of my team.

The gorgeous man broke the heavy silence. “You might want to give up now.” Deadly. That was one word to describe his looks. I could see his pointed ears now, peeking out from his wild hair. Like all other dragon riders, he’d been transformed into something more dangerous than human.

My chest twinged painfully. I was aware of every pump of my heart. This could only end with my death, but looking at that infuriating smirk… I wasn’t going to take it lying down. “Fuck that.” I lunged at him.

Kieran didn’t use his shadows right away. He let me swing at his face, let me throw my legs in a wild attempt to cut him down, all the while he easily dodged and blocked my blows. I yelled, wild and animalistic, and in a desperate move, threw my knife straight at his face.

Darkness exploded, blinding me. A choking coolness wrapped around my waist and tossed me out of the carriage. I barely had time to process what had happened. The icy sensation faded—his shadows, I realized. A moment later, something heavy pressed on my chest.

When I realized what it was, I nearly shit myself.

It wasn’t Kieran’s shadows. No. It was a massive fucking dragon’s talon.

And one glance upward confirmed that the rest of the dragon was still attached.

The dragon was beautiful and terrifying.

Its dark black scales glittered under the moonlight.

I knew his name. Everyone did. Hesperos.

Dark eyes met mine. It opened its mouth, its teeth freshly coated in blood.

Fire swirled deep in its throat, ready to turn me to ash at any moment. Its nostrils flared, and heat singed my face. My pulse skyrocketed.

This is how I die.

“Most people would have wet themselves by now,” Kieran said, his footsteps coming closer to me.

I didn’t dare look away from the dragon snarling in my face.

“Would you look at that.” I felt something nudge the tips of my hair, and it took me a second to process why beyond him just being a sadistic asshole.

“The blonde didn’t suit you. You look much better as a brunette. ”

The wig, along with the cheap bald cap, had fallen off in the scuffle. My voice, which had died upon being pinned to the ground by a dragon, came alive. “Just get it over with,” I hissed. But I couldn’t truly find my anger, not when my death was quite literally staring me in the face.

“Brave too. Stupid, but brave.” He knelt. I flinched when he grabbed my chin and tilted it to meet his stormy gaze. “Why would I let you die when you have such valuable answers? You’re not going anywhere.”

His shadows flooded my vision. I tried to scream, to flail, but my body was held immobile, and I couldn’t do anything to stop the blow to my head.

The darkness overtook me.