Page 6 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury (House of Embers #1)

I wanted to scream and pound at the door. My fist rose and paused inches from it. Prove myself. Even if it was a load of bullshit, I needed to work with them and get them to trust me. Once they thought I was a perfectly controlled pet, I could see my sister.

And after? I didn’t know. Was my sister better off without me? Was she safe where she was? Would she be taken care of? My fist fell limply to my side. Where is she? She had to be in the castle based on what Luther said, or at least, close by.

I expelled a breath. Even if I played his game, it was all on his terms. He could change the rules at any time.

‘Gaining his trust’ could take months, if not years.

But I’m not completely helpless. The bond flared to life again, sending warmth my way.

Umara was by my side. I had a fucking dragon willing to assist me.

I surveyed the room. ‘Bare’ was the first thought that came to mind.

But even so, it was nicer than anything I’d ever owned.

There was a queen size bed in the center with plush pillows and blankets.

A dresser was across from it and a full length mirror right beside it, tucked against the wall.

In the center wall was a small window just big enough to stick my head out .

I didn’t sit on the bed. Just the thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Instead, I went over to the far end of the wall and sat down, facing the door.

Could I trust that Luther would give Clara a good home?

Even if he did, she would always be his tool to force my hand.

I stared at the wooden floors. She was probably terrified right now.

I balled my hands into fists. Tomorrow there’d be training.

I didn’t know how to utilize Umara right now, had no clue what she’d seen in me, but maybe…

maybe the training would show me why. And then I could force King Luther’s hand.

Umara might only be one dragon, but a single dragon could destroy a village.

That was why the western kingdom of Raghnall bowed down to us, because they had no dragons of their own.

And why the eastern kingdom of Ethava had been destroyed, leaving only a dividing wall between us and an empty wasteland.

It's not over yet. I’ll find where my sister’s been taken. And then I’d go from there.

Hours crawled by, and I didn’t get up from my spot on the floor. No one came by to bring food. The bastard king probably saw it as another lesson. It only added to the list to why I hated him.

Someone knocked.

I jumped to my feet, my heart stuttering. “Who’s there?”

“You made a hell of an impression,” a feminine voice said from the other side, amusement lacing her tone.

I clenched my jaw. “I wasn’t trying to. Are you going to help me? ”

“Would you say please?”

My blood boiled. “I’d rather kick your ass.”

The woman laughed. “Good answer.” The door swung open, and a rider stood in the entryway.

Nimue Kalimera, the Truthteller. She had cropped blond hair, tan skin, a tall build, and striking blue eyes.

Her dragon’s mark tattoo went all the way up to her collarbone.

Unlike the other female dragonsguard, her cobalt blue dress was more revealing.

There were two slits on either side of her legs, exposing her thighs.

The front of her dress dipped down low, almost to her belly button.

Long sleeves hugged her arms, and she wore fingerless golden gloves.

Nimue wiggled her fingers at me in a wave.

I considered shoving my way past her, but that’d be suicide. I’d be caught within seconds. “What are you doing?”

Nimue’s smile widened. She folded her arms and cocked her hip to the side.

“We haven’t been introduced. I’m Nimue. And well, you’re learning this the hard way, but as much as Luther is a dick, we have to play by his rules.

However, I’m not opposed to bending them.

You deserve a chance to say goodbye, but don’t expect me to help you escape.

If you try, I’ll bring you back myself.”

My eyes widened. “Please. I won’t try to escape.”

Nimue grabbed one of the golden ribbons tied around her thigh and passed it to me. “Good. Tie this around your eyes. I can lead you through the castle. If you’re going to see your sister, you’re going to have to do some crazy shit, including riding my dragon. Are you in?”

I stared at the ribbon. There was no doubt in my mind that she was testing me. I snatched the ribbon from her. “Of course I am.”

She checked the blindfold after I put it on and looped her arm around mine.

My heart pounded with each step we took.

Nimue whispered directions, making sure I didn’t faceplant.

But I couldn’t relax. I wanted desperately to believe this was true, but it could be a trap.

A way for me to let my guard down and fail a loyalty test.

Somehow no one ran into us, which was suspicious as fuck, but I wasn’t going to question it. Not if it let me see Clara one last time. Though I did suspect it to be some sort of secret corridor system—maybe the servants’ hallways. Because soon, the air was damp and stale.

After what felt like an eternity of walking, Nimue squeezed my hand. “We’re here. Try not to freak out when you take off the blindfold. Trust me, you don’t want to piss off any dragon here.”

It took me a few blinks to get my vision back, and when I saw where I stood, I immediately wanted to close my eyes.

We were underneath the castle in an enormous cave system.

It was easily as tall as the castle itself underneath here.

And deep in some of the tunnels were the dragons.

Six of them. Some roamed around, but most were curled up in their own little mini caves that were tucked inside the walls.

The bond sparked to life, so strong and sudden I had to grip Nimue.

My head jerked to the right. I was wrong.

The cave didn’t hold only six dragons but seven.

Umara was here. My jaw dropped. “What… what is she…?” I couldn’t find the words.

If it wasn’t for Nimue gripping my arm, I would have walked over to her.

“She doesn’t usually enter the caves, but since she claimed you, she’s been hanging out here. But come on, we don’t have time for this.”

It took everything I had to tear my gaze away from Umara, at those wistful, ancient eyes and force my legs to follow Nimue. The rest of the dragons watched and waited. Hesperos growled, flashing his teeth.

I could feel every inch of my body, every breath. At any moment, these dragons could turn me to ash. Umara was powerful, but she couldn’t be at two places at once. I took a deep breath. “What do I need to do?”

Nimue’s grin was practically feral. “You won’t like it. I won’t blame you for turning back.”

I folded my arms. “Whatever it is, I’ll do it.”

Nimue clasped my shoulder and strode forward until we stood in front of a large brown dragon.

“Thaleia has a soft spot for feral women—trust me, I’m talking from experience.

She’ll go easy on you.” The brown dragon, Thaleia, exhaled a huge puff of smoke and then leaned down to gently knock her head against Nimue.

Nimue laughed and rubbed her head. “It’ll be a short flight to your sister, and it’s not unusual for me to fly, though usually I’m in my flight leathers.

” She shrugged. “It won’t be too terrible, and I didn’t want to raise any suspicion so I’ll make do.

But the problem we have is that you can’t be seen. ”

From the glint in her eyes, I had a sinking feeling of what she planned. “Whatever. I’ll manage.”

“Good.” Nimue stepped into the cave and pulled out a huge cargo bag, reinforced with thick leather. “Because you’re going to get in this, and then I’ll strap you onto Thaleia’s back.”

I looked into Thaleia’s eyes as she laid down so Nimue could strap on the cargo bag behind the rider’s saddle.

Her scales would make for a bumpy ride, and there was the potential that Nimue would push me off.

I wouldn’t be able to stop her if she did.

It’d be such a stupid way to die. Was this how the fly felt when the spider encouraged it to enter its web?

“Listen, if you’re not—”

“Set it up.”

“Badass.” Nimue laughed as she strapped the cargo bag onto her dragon. I watched her with a stone in my belly. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. This was one of the most reckless things I had ever done. But if this was my one chance to say goodbye to my sister, I’d do it.

My heart sat in my throat when Nimue told me to climb the dragon. Thaleia stared me down as I used her leg to heft myself up. Don’t smite me. Please don’t smite me. I plopped ungracefully atop Thaleia’s back and ignored Nimue’s snickering.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”

“Sure,” I panted and stared at the leather sack. This is such a bad idea. But I climbed inside anyways. The bag wasn’t big enough for me to lay flat and Nimue recommended against straddling Thaleia, so instead I curled up on my side.

“You’ll be safe during the flight,” Nimue said, the humor falling from her face.

“Be brave, Selena.” And then she buckled the bag shut, enclosing me in darkness.

I spiraled almost immediately, especially when she tightened the straps around the bag.

Thaleia was thin for a dragon. It felt like I’d fall off if I so much as rolled over.

“Are you ready?” Nimue called.

I did my best to grip a scale through the bag. “Do it.”

“That’s my girl. Thaleia, fly. ”

My stomach fell to my toes when Thaleia moved. The bag shifted and moved, but surprisingly, I was bound so tight that I was barely jostled. It’s not bad. I’m just playing human cargo.

Of course, that’s when Thaleia jumped into the air. I thought I panicked before, but it had nothing on that takeoff. I bit back a scream. This is it. This is how I get murdered. By dumbass naivete. And the worst part is I asked for it.