Page 5 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury (House of Embers #1)

I couldn't say exactly what happened after that. My mind ran a mile a minute as I stood there, chained to the pavilion. At least my clothes didn’t burn.

It was such a stupid thought, but it eased some of the fog in my mind.

I glanced at my sister—at the wonder, confusion, and fear mixed plainly on her face as she clutched at Brynn.

“—talk to the king,” Kieran said, and then the cool shadows enveloped me, and the world went black.

The next thing I knew I was back in my cell. For a moment, I was sure I dreamed it until I looked down at my arm, at the swirling black tattoo. The mark of a rider.

The mental link jolted to attention when I touched the mark. Pride. Happiness. The overwhelming emotions sent sparks of warmth down my shivering body.

“What the fuck?” I whispered to the ground. The bond was still there, ever present, but it faded to the background, leaving me with a bone deep exhaustion.

When Umara claimed me—and wasn’t that insane to think about—I thought I’d have some negotiating power, but I’d been too na?ve. Or maybe this was the king exerting his will, proving he could shove my head in the dirt. He seemed like the type of man to revel in that.

It wouldn’t be easy to get rid of me. Lusadia needed all the dragon riders it could get.

The civil war and rebellion started when the lower half of Lusadia rebelled and named themselves Andova.

That battle massacred most of the dragon population.

Andova, the southern kingdom, had only three dragon riders to our six—now seven—but any number of dragons were a cause for concern.

I closed my eyes. Yes, the king might not be happy that street trash like me was chosen to be a rider, but he needed warriors to fight against Andova and the gryphons, pests that were known to slaughter entire villages if they went unchecked.

‘Why did you choose me, Umara? Why didn’t you pick another lord or lady?’ The dragons always claimed a member from one of the five Noble Houses as well as the royal family.

I can work with this. Maybe I could negotiate Clara’s freedom. I froze. Did they put the Traitor’s Brand on her? My lungs tightened. Maybe since I was claimed, they didn’t do it. It wouldn’t be a good thing if a rider’s family was marked as a traitor.

A week passed. Each day, I felt like I was going more and more insane. Servants delivered me plain meals and ignored every question I asked. I’d taken to clutching the pendant, pleading with it to give my sister some luck .

The sound of footsteps cut through the unbearable silence.

It wasn’t a servant—no, the pointed ears and dark swirling tattoo that peaked up from his black leather gloves gave him away.

Another rider. What was the point of wearing those wrist length gloves since they didn’t hide the tattoo?

From the portraits I’d seen, I knew it was Gareth the Healer.

The man standing before me was shorter than I expected and leaner too.

He had mousy brown hair, olive skin, and kind brown eyes.

“What happened to my sister?” I jumped to my feet. “Stop gawking and tell me.”

Gareth winced. “Sorry. She’s fine. No Traitor’s Brand.” He glanced around the room. “I’m sorry you’ve been in here for so long with no answers. It’s been… a lot. We’re in uncharted territory here. No one thought Umara would claim anyone.”

“And yet she did.” I folded my arms.

“She did,” Gareth murmured. “I’m sorry. I haven’t introduced myself. My name’s Gareth. It’s an honor to meet you, all things considered. I'm sorry you're in this situation, even if you did get yourself into it.”

“What the hell are you getting at? I snapped.

He straightened his shoulders. “Umara hasn’t chosen anyone in five hundred years.

And for the past hundred years, we’ve desperately needed her to.

So… you’re valuable. Practically the whole capital witnessed her claiming you, and a dragon’s judgment can override any ruling.

” He narrowed his eyes. “I know you don’t trust me, but this is your shot.

You can’t blow it. Be smart. Your life depends on it, an d well, things can only improve from here if you behave. ”

As much as I hated it, he had me there. “Why are you here?”

Gareth folded his arms. “The dragonsguard has been deliberating, but ultimately King Luther has the final say. He’s made a decision, and I’m to escort you to him.”

I stayed silent and still as he bound my hands together, but the bitter feeling in my mouth only got stronger with each step I took. Talk about a bleak outcome. I didn’t want to die, but I also didn’t want to be a royal’s attack dog.

Guards blatantly stared as we passed them. Gareth ignored everyone, keeping his head raised high, but the slight twitch from his gloved fingers betrayed his true feelings. The stares confirmed what I originally thought. I had some negotiating power here, small as it was.

Smugness radiated down the bond from Umara, and I fought a smile.

The emotion was infectious and filled my entire being.

‘ Not yet,’ I tried to send through the bond.

She couldn’t speak, or rather, she could but in a language only dragons understood.

The moment she re-activated the bond, I felt unbridled warmth—like my soul was placed under the sun, and I couldn’t help but bask in it.

Gareth gave me a moment to steel myself as we stood before two arching golden doors.

I jerked a shallow nod, and then he motioned to the guard.

The doors groaned open, and we stepped in.

The king’s throne room was just as huge and lavish as I expected.

Paintings decorated the walls along with tapestries of past battles.

King Luther sat on his throne with a scowl fixed on his face.

I had only ever seen the man in portraits.

He had light brown skin, dark brown eyes, and long, braided hair.

His arms stretched lazily on the armrests.

One of his elbows was pointed downward instead of to the side.

It was because of past kings that I knew what my condition was called: Aesvanan Syndrome, given the name centuries ago.

Rare, but not as uncommon as you’d think.

To his right, on a lower level than him but still on a raised pavilion, were the dragonsguard. There were five seats, and only one unclaimed because of Gareth. Another power move on their part. I’m not ‘in’ until they say so. The members were all blank faced, looking down at their noses at me.

As much as I tried to fight it, my eyes instantly sought out Kieran’s. His lips twitched into the barest hint of a smirk. Despite the jolt to my system, I immediately wanted to punch the scowl off his face. Jackass. I turned my gaze back to the king.

“Do you know what you’ve done?” Luther asked.

I didn’t do shit, I wanted to say, but I wasn’t a moron. Silence pressed on my shoulders. Did he actually expect me to answer?

But when I opened my mouth, he cut me off. “No, don’t speak. I don’t want to hear from a street rat.” His lips curled into a grin. “We’ll work on those manners.” He waved his hand, gesturing lazily to the dark- skinned woman sitting next to Kieran.

Objectively, the woman was beautiful. Her skin was flawless.

Her long black hair was woven into tight tiny braids.

The ones on her left side were braided straight backward while the right side was braided to flow to the side.

It was a common style once the people saw Lady Aurelia Benson wear it.

The fabric on her billowy golden dress could easily pay for several weeks’ worth of food.

But I knew she didn’t give a shit about any of that, not when she was so blatantly looking down her nose at me.

“There are seven dragons, and as such, only seven riders.” Aurelia folded her arms. It took me a second to process what was happening—that the asshole king was too lazy to deliver an explanation himself.

“Besides Umara, the other dragons had typical mourning periods, ranging from a handful of years to twenty. Umara, on the other hand, her record is over five hundred years. We thought she was waiting for someone noble, someone that could truly transform this realm.” Aurelia’s lip curled.

“It seems we were wrong. We only showed her highborn. To think, the great dragon Umara longed for peasant scum.”

My nostrils flared. A roar echoed off in the distance. Umara. The sheer amount of rage coursing through my body from her was enough to make my legs wobble.

“We cannot question a dragon, let alone one as ancient as she.” Luther’s hands tightened on his throne.

“Umara has chosen her rider and after centuries of mourning, she saw fit to complete the dragonsguard. However, this leaves us in a predicament.” He leaned forward and propped his hand on his chin.

“You were fated to die, Selena. Do you wish for death? You may speak now.”

That smug fucking bastard. “Obviously, I don’t.” My blood boiled even more when I caught Kieran smirking.

Luther looked like the cat who caught the canary. “I’m sure you witnessed your sister in attendance that day.”

“You—” I snarled and stepped forward, but before I could launch myself at him, chains and all, something pressed against my shoulders, pinning me where I stood. I clenched my jaw at the wispy black shadows. Kieran. I glared at him, but the only response he gave me was a twitch of his lips.

Luther laughed. “Such a simple creature you are. I absolutely hate it. Kieran, let her seek her death if she wishes. And her sister’s.”

I stilled. “Don’t you touch her!”

Luther straightened. “If you wish for her not to receive a Traitor’s Brand and to be safe, then you will do as I say.

You will be a loyal member of the dragonsguard.

And in turn, your sister will receive a Lady’s education.

She’ll want for nothing, and she’ll be treated with the prestige that a dragonsguard’s family is entitled to.

But that is only as long as you behave. Does this sound agreeable to you? ”

“Fine,” I spat. My stomach coiled into a knot.

The whole reason I took the stupid heist was so Clara and I could have better lives, so she could get proper medicine and live somewhere where she wasn’t constantly at risk of catching another illness due to her delicate constitution.

Even if she was a hostage… maybe this was better for her.

Luther nodded. “Good. She will be moved to a secure location. You may see her once you’ve proven your loyalty.”

And just like that, the floor crumbled underneath me. “N-no. You have to let me see her. Please.” My fire extinguished in an instant. Pride didn’t matter. Not right now. Not when my sister would be torn away from me for who knew how long.

Luther reveled in my begging. I could see it from the way his eyes glinted. “I don’t have to let you do anything. I’m the king. And I’ll remind you not to assume you can override my authority.” He narrowed his eyes. “You won’t like what happens if you try again. My answer is no.”

Gareth tugged at my arm. Inexplicitly, my gaze went to Kieran’s hard gaze. ‘ Please, ’ I found myself mouthing. But the man only smiled and shook his head.

My breath hitched. Gareth used that distraction to pull me along. We didn’t go back to the dungeon. Instead, we went to the right wing of the castle. “The dragonsguard quarters,” Gareth murmured as we passed a tapestry of King Luther’s famed brown dragon, Saanvi.

There was a row of doors on the right and to the left, a huge living space. Gareth took me to the last room and opened the door. “Let me.” He gently took my hands and removed the chains. “If you could step in. I—uh—I’m sorry. Tomorrow, things will be a bit easier.”

“Please let me see her. She’s all I have.”

Gareth’s expression crumpled. “I’m sorry. I can’t go against the king. You have to prove yourself to him, and only then will you be rewarded.”

He shut the door in my face, and the latch clicked shut.