Page 55 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury (House of Embers #1)

The next day, we practiced the dragon dance where all of our dragons would fly overtop the festival.

The dance consisted of our six dragons instead of seven because it was too ‘plebian’ for Luther to join in.

The dance was supposed to show how we and our dragons were one.

I still thought it was a waste of time, but unfortunately, it was tradition.

Over and over again, we did the damn dance.

My head spun from all the upside down spins and twirls.

Umara had gotten better at listening and staying in formation.

But every time a dragon got too close, she’d snap at them.

One time, when Aurelia’s dragon’s wing grazed her after I steered Umara upward, Umara shot a ball of flames their way.

It didn’t touch Aurelia, but it was close.

Aurelia veered out of the way and in doing so, her dragon knocked against Ben’s. Aurelia snarled, sounding just like her dragon. With the dance ruined, we all flew to the ground.

Aurelia slid down her dragon and stalked over to me, her jaw wound tight. “You need to get that dragon under control. We're going to look like fools if she can't follow the precise order. ”

I bit my tongue. Umara hadn’t done the stupid dragon dance in centuries. Of course, she wasn’t used to it, because for five centuries she didn’t have to bow down to the whims of arrogant kings.

Umara roared at Aurelia. To her credit, Aurelia stood her ground and only slightly paled.

Enmei immediately backed her up, standing behind Aurelia and baring his teeth at Umara.

My heart stuttered when Umara rose to her full height.

“No!” I slipped in front of Aurelia. “You can’t torch her for this. ”

Umara gnashed her teeth inches from Aurelia’s face before dashing across the field to gobble up some poor sheep several hundred yards away. I winced. “Maybe she was just hungry.”

Ben threw his arm around Aurelia, who quickly shoved him off. “I’ve been there,” he said sagely.

“I hate to say it, but I agree with Aurelia.” Nimue winced at the look I shot her.

“You need to be in sync with the rest of us. It’ll paint a target on your back if you’re not.

The dance shows the kingdom—and the continent—how well we’re bonded to our dragons.

That we’re one in mind and body. Umara isn’t just ignoring Aurelia. She’s ignoring you.”

I grimaced. “We’ll work on it.”

I could feel everyone’s gazes on me as I strode over to where Umara nibbled on a sheep’s thigh bone.

Just going to ignore all the blood. No big deal.

Don’t overthink it. “Hey, Umara,” I called out tentatively.

She ignored me, still chewing the bone. “Uh, I know this whole thing is stupid, but the others have a point. Me and you, we have to be a unit. ”

We never had an issue like this. On missions, Umara and I were perfectly in sync with the others, even if she didn’t fly in formation.

But now that I thought about it… she only listened when we were in serious danger or when I did drills.

It makes sense. Five hundred years creates a habit of independence.

One I didn’t blame her for but didn’t help in situations like this when I needed her obedience.

I cleared my throat. “Umara, we have to keep practicing.”

Five minutes passed in silence. Umara got up to chase some more terrified sheep and pointedly ignored me. I clenched my jaw and sent a pulse of irritation down the bond. “Umara. Let’s. Go.”

Umara stilled before swirling on me, her nostrils flaring. My heart thumped when she towered over me, her gigantic teeth inches from my face. Her golden scales shone so bright they almost blinded me. She chuffed smoke at me. Even though I knew I wouldn’t burn, my heart still skipped a beat.

I swallowed. “What has gotten into you?” I lifted my hand. Umara lunged, inches from my fingertips. My breath hitched. On a cat, the movement would’ve been cute, but on a dragon? My ears rang. ‘Umara isn’t just ignoring Aurelia. She’s ignoring you.’

‘Do you regret it?’ I asked through our link.

“I don’t understand,” I whispered. I sent my hurt and my confusion down the bond but was met with a wall of thick frustration. I shook my head. “Fine. You’re free for the rest of the night. We’ll talk later.” My cheeks heated when I returned to the others .

Aurelia huffed. “This is going to be a disaster. What if we have to go on without her?”

“We can’t do that.” Gareth frowned. “We’ve always done the dragon dance. Leaving her out would make her a target. If Umara won’t cooperate, we won’t be able to do it.”

“Luther’s gonna be pissed.” Ben whistled. “Glad I don’t have to deliver the news to him.”

It took everything I had not to hunch my shoulders. “Whatever. Is that all for today?”

Kieran met my gaze and frowned. “I want to check on your progress. Let’s spar. First without weapons, and then with them.”

Kieran was merciless. Each strike, each blow was made to take me down.

But this time, instead of my thighs and arms quivering when he connected, I blocked or dodged his strikes with strength.

I couldn’t help but feel proud at how long I managed to hold on.

After several months of training, I wasn’t a weakling anymore.

Still, it ended with me face down on the mat. I tried to ignore the rush of heat that swelled between my legs as he slotted between them. He had my hands locked behind my back in an iron grip. Only one hand too. Months ago, I would’ve been pissed. Now, I wanted to arch against his touch.

“So…” Ben trailed off. “Kieran wins.”

I flushed, realizing that we’d stayed in that position longer than necessary.

Kieran pulled back, and I bit back a cry of protest. “Get your blade,” he ordered, his voice harsh.

Fuck. That tone shouldn’t do things to me. Heaving a sigh, I grabbed my blade from my pack and raised it defensively. Kieran used a dulled weapon against me, but insisted I used a sharpened one. We both knew he could handle himself. I met his gaze. “I’m going to get you on your back.”

The corner of his mouth twitched. “I’d like to see you try. I expect you to put up a good fight and not let Ben’s hard work go to waste. Though if he’s found lacking, I’ll personally make him run laps until he passes out.”

“That’s not fair!” Ben protested from the sidelines. “Don’t punish the teacher. It’s not my fault she’s mediocre.”

“Thanks, asshole. I—” I let out a strangled cry when Kieran charged forward. I barely managed to dodge the swish of his knife. “Cheater!”

He let out a low chuckle. “Is it cheating or were you unprepared?”

“It was definitely cheating!” Ben chimed in.

I smiled and straightened my posture. As much as I tried to ignore it, I wanted to impress him. The problem was, Kieran was fast. Overcoming that wouldn’t be easy. Still, I wasn’t going to back down from a challenge.

This time, I went on the offensive. In a real fight, all I needed to do was get in one solid strike.

I aimed for the lethal spots. His neck, his thigh, his heart.

Even his balls, though that wasn’t necessarily lethal, it’d give me an advantage.

There was no honor in fighting, and ‘dishonorable’ fighting was the main reason I got to come home to Clara whenever I was in a tough spot.

Every strike, every blow, heat crackled under my skin. His heavy gaze stayed on me, and I couldn’t help but wonder what his thoughts were. Was he impressed? Had I improved enough?

I made the mistake of trying to slice his neck, leaving my torso wide open for his boot. He kicked the air out of my lungs, and I stumbled backward. Kieran used that to end the fight, sweeping my legs and sending me on my back.

Kieran was on me in an instant, using his body weight to subdue me. He pinned my hands above my head in one hand. His other pressed a blade to my throat. I hissed at the slight pain as blood dripped down my neck. “What was that you said about getting me on my back?” He grinned wickedly.

“S-shut up.” My cheeks burned. “I did better though, didn’t I?”

“Hell yeah she did!” Ben cheered. “Don’t take it out on me if you think otherwise.”

Kieran snorted and stood up. “You did good, little thief.”

I smiled. “Damn right I did.”

While the others practiced sparring, Ben pulled me to the side. “I, uh, I thought I should warn you.”

I rolled my eyes but felt no real irritation. “That you’re willing to throw me under the carriage to save your own skin? Yeah, I got that.”

He grinned. “You should’ve expected that from the beginning. Kieran’s one scary asshole. He doesn’t go easy on you of all people. I truly believe he’d make me cry . ” He shook his head. “But that wasn’t it. I, um, I wanted to warn you about my family. They’ll be at the festival.”

“Oh.” I frowned. “You don’t have to worry. I know their reputation.” And even without the stories giving me pause, the fact that they were nobles was enough to make me dislike them. None of the nobles gave a shit about the people under their watch struggling to make ends meet.

“It’s a deserved one,” Ben said bitterly.

I winced. Markos Province was a terrible place for a woman to live. The current Lord and Ben’s father, Taro Markos, was known for producing bastards, and he’d never once married. All those mothers never received any sort of status for birthing his heirs. “Is it true he only legitimizes boys?”

Ben’s expression darkened. “I’m fourth in line, his fourth son, but he has fifteen kids in total.”

“Asshole.”

Ben didn’t disagree. “My hometown is really old fashioned. Because of its terrain, we’re pretty closed off from the rest of the country. They don’t even approve of female riders. And, well, my father’s a dick to anyone he considers a woman.” He scowled. “He’s terrible to Gareth.”

As if I needed another reason to hate Taro Markos. “ If you want me to punch him, I don’t mind getting thrown into the dungeon for it.” It’d be worth it.

Ben smiled faintly. “A few years ago, I got thrown in there when my brother spouted some shit. It turned into a whole brawl. Gareth was so pissed. He didn’t talk to me for a week.”

I blinked. “Why?”

“He said people who believe in that nonsense aren’t worth his time and entertaining them is almost as bad.”

I frowned. “But I was looking forward to punching him.” And surely, the punishment would only be a slap on the wrist.

Ben sighed. “I know. I was too. But it’s what he wants.”

“Fine.” I looked up at Ben. For as long as I’d known him, he’d been all smiles and flirty remarks. But he was different from the rumors about House Markos nobles. He respected the men and women he slept with. Not only that, but he was kind. “Thanks for warning me.”

Ben rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s nothing. I wish I wasn’t connected to them.”

“It’s a good thing.” At his surprised look, I smiled. “Like Gareth says, you can change your legacy. Show them the Markos name isn’t so bad.”

Ben smiled. “You’re right. I’m not sure how, but I’d like to do that.”

I clasped my hand on his shoulder. “We have time to figure it out.” Especially now that I knew I wasn’t going to take off in the dead of night with Clara in tow.

The ride back was horrible. Umara completely shut me out and ignored me.

Really, I was surprised she even let me ride her.

As soon as we arrived at the capital, she parted from the others to land in the courtyard and then immediately took off once I dismounted.

I watched her fly away with a knot in my belly.

After that, I sought out Nimue and dragged her into my room. “Have you ever had a problem getting Thaleia to listen to you?”

Nimue was very obviously trying not to frighten me, because she took a moment to choose her words. “Not for me. Umara is more... headstrong. She doesn't like to be told what to do.” Her lips twitched. “Almost like someone else I know.”

I groaned and slumped into my sheets. “I need her to be a little less like me. Do you have any tips?”

Nimue hummed in thought. “Talk to her from the heart. It sounds cliche, but our bonds rely on it.”

“I’ll try tomorrow.” Right now, we both needed space, or we very well might just try to kill each other. I heaved a sigh. If I didn’t get it together, I’d be shooting myself in the foot. It was more than a little stressful. “How awful is the festival going to be? I always skipped out on them.”

“I only did one officially. It’s a lot of politics. We’re there to show our strength and let the nobles feel good. None of us are looking forward to that. ”

“If you need a buffer, I’m here for you.”

Nimue smiled. “Thanks. They’re not terrible, but whenever I look at any of my family, I feel so bitter.

My brothers were all too happy to screw me over.

I can’t play happy family after that.” She exhaled.

“Aurelia and I are in agreement. The next generation we’re going to make sure female heirs are prioritized. ”

“I can get behind that.” I bumped my shoulder against her. “They don’t deserve you.”

“Damn right they don’t.” She smiled. “We can be buffers for each other. A lot of the nobles are going to come up and talk to you. They’ll want you to promise them things.

Be as vague as possible. If you’re unsure on what to say, talk up Luther.

You can never go wrong praising the king.

And I really hate to say this, it seriously hurts my soul, but if you can, just smile and nod. ”

We’re setting women’s rights back fifty years. I figured now was as good as any to attempt it. I forced a closed smile and nodded.

Nimue burst out laughing. “You look like someone just peed in your oatmeal. Don’t smile like that at the festival.”

I snorted. “You’re awesome at cheering me up. Really, great work.”

She flicked my arm. “Don’t I know it.”