Page 75 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury (House of Embers #1)

As expected, Luther was pissed. But that wasn’t what got to me. It was his tawny skin paling and how tightly he gripped the armrests of his throne. He was scared. And that was enough to chill me to the bone.

Luther had already ‘confessed’ about the eggs at the beginning of the meeting, and I’d done my best to look shocked. Thankfully, Luther was too distressed to pay attention to my expression.

Gareth glanced between Luther and Kieran before settling on Kieran. “What do we do?”

Kieran looked at Luther, who gave him a wave of approval. “There’s no need for secrecy when we’re fucked,” Luther said.

Which wasn’t what I wanted to hear at all.

Kieran didn’t look as disturbed by the news as the rest of us did.

“Now that the location of the eggs is fully compromised, the time for playing it safe is over. Of course we need to avoid a battle between dragons if possible, but Andova is bringing their dragons over as we speak. They’re willing to take the risk, and we can’t ignore that.

We need those eggs, or they’ll challenge us to another war.

And if they get those eggs… we’ll be on even footing for the first time in a century. ”

“We already know this.” Luther scowled.

Kieran wasn’t fazed by the retort. “At the moment, the eggs are being transported in the underground tunnels around Caddel Province. You should send a raven to divert them to somewhere in Benson.”

Luther motioned for him to continue. “Why?”

Kieran’s eyes glinted. “Because Caddel Province is celebrating The New Era festival in sixteen days. Since Andova already has eyes on House Caddel, it’s better the eggs be placed somewhere in House Benson.

They’ll probably assume we’ll transport the eggs far away—closer to the capital or even in Markos Province.

If we place the eggs close by House Caddel, it’ll make retrieving the eggs easier. ”

Luther frowned. “What are you proposing?”

“It won’t look out of the ordinary for me to go to the festival. Then, I can retrieve the eggs after the festival and hopefully avoid any bloodshed. Even better, since we had to leave early, Selena and I can go under the guise of continuing her gryphon luring training.”

My eyes widened. Did that mean…?

“Selena and I returning for the festival is our best option for not outright starting another war. This is the best strategy—as long as Andova doesn’t get the eggs before then.”

I felt as if I’d been dunked in ice. I shouldn’t have felt so betrayed.

And yet, here he was volunteering me to be bait on a dangerous mission where he couldn’t guarantee my safety.

All without asking me. But it makes sense.

It is our best option. Fuck, I couldn’t even be totally pissed. We’re going to talk about this.

Luther’s gaze cut to mine. “Your thoughts, Selena?”

I blinked. “I… I think it’s our best shot.” As much as I didn’t like it, if Andova got those eggs… my sister wouldn’t be safe. Even if war couldn’t be avoided, it would be best if our dragons outnumbered theirs. Damn you, Kieran, you manipulative jerk.

Luther nodded approvingly. “Then it’s settled. You two will go to the festival in fifteen days. When you two go, Kieran will retrieve the eggs and then shadow travel to me as quickly as possible. We’ll try to avoid a dragon fight, but if it must happen, then I expect you to lay down your lives.”

I raised my chin. “I want Clara to come live at the castle.” My words sucked all the life out of the room.

Luther tightened his grip on his chair. “Do you really want to start this up again, Selena?”

I folded my arms. “You want me to lay down my life. I will for the good of the kingdom, but no more playing games. If I’m going to be in the dragonsguard, then I should be in the dragonsguard.

I’ve succeeded in missions. I’ve become your Siren, and my Gift has helped kill gryphons.

And I’m going to help Kieran get the dragon eggs for you .

What more do you want from me, Luther? I’ve proven my loyalty a hundred times over.

” Minus one murder attempt. But he didn’t know that.

Luther’s lip curled. He leaned forward, and I braced myself for his venom .

“She has a point.” Kieran spared me a meaningful glance before straightening his shoulders.

“The rest of us have been rewarded for our loyalty, and we’ve happily served.

Selena is a major asset. She’s followed all of your orders without delay.

As her captain, I can vouch for her service. She’s been nothing but focused.”

It took everything I had not to look at Kieran. Warmth flooded my veins, but I kept it under lock and key. Luther couldn’t know how much we meant to each other.

“Fine,” Luther spat. “She will come to the castle within a week, but she will only be staying if you succeed in your mission. You will not fail.”

I raised my chin. “I won’t.”

“But, uh, what’s the plan?” Ben folded his arms. “Totally for the sister reunion, but I feel like we could use some more details on the actual ‘avoid-the-war’ mission.”

I shot him a look, but Ben wasn’t focused on me but Luther.

“Since a dragon has been spotted, they won’t think anything of the dragonsguard being sent out to patrol.

We’ll keep this up starting tonight and for the duration of the festival.

” Luther straightened his shoulders. “Even without the eggs involved, this is a slight that cannot be dismissed. If you see a dragon, fire on them. You will patrol in pairs, so that an Andovan rider will be outnumbered and forced to back off. During the festival, we’ll spread out our members, so that they’re close by should the worst arise.

We’ll also have Selena go out to train her powers while we wait for the festival, to ease the fears of any lingering spies. ”

“So we’re doing nothing?” I scoffed. “That can’t be the right move.”

Luther’s eyes flashed. “You’ll do well not to challenge me, girl.

I’ve studied battle tactics while you were struggling on the streets.

If we act suspiciously, they will learn our tactics.

Especially if we have a leak in our army.

I don’t doubt this Raven is involved. We need them to feel relaxed and secure.

An all-out battle must be avoided at all costs.

Even with the patrols, we will give a warning but try your best not to engage. We cannot afford to lose any dragons.”

Dragons. Not people. Of course.

Luther studied me. “For the festival, only Nimue will remain at the castle. Gareth will be stationed at his castle. Ben will patrol the border. Aurelia and I will be at her home castle, but we will meet at Treave, in the Caddel Province as it’s perfectly in the middle between the two castles, and Selena and Kieran will be at the festival.

Should a battle be called, we will have our dragons nearby. ”

“It’s risky.” Nimue raised her chin. “Let me go with them, Luther.”

Luther’s lips tugged into a line. “Do not doubt me. This is the best plan. It is not up for debate. Now, you are all dismissed. Ben and Aurelia, I want you to head out at dawn tomorrow to patrol the border for the next week.”

“This sounds like a fucking disaster.” Nimue folded her arms and stared us down. “We’re supposed to be a team. This is setting you two up for slaughter if things go south. And it sounds like they will!”

“It seems like simple math to me.” Ben looked between the two of us. “More dragons, better odds. I say we show up anyways.”

“No,” Kieran said bluntly. In just one word, he completely shut down all arguments.

“Why not?” I asked. It was the strangest thing. Despite my conflicting emotions earlier, I trusted Kieran. If he backed Luther’s plan, so did I. Look at me following authority. Clara would be so proud.

“None of you have witnessed a dragon on dragon fight. I have.” His jaw flexed. “It's something we haven't trained for, and for good reason. Even our dragons are unpredictable. If they get pissed off, there’s a good chance they’ll turn on each other.”

“They wouldn’t…” Ben’s easy smile fell.

Kieran glared. “That’s how Andova lost their fourth dragon and how I gained the name Dragonslayer.

Luther likes to tell everyone it was because of him and his aid, but the truth was, the Andovan dragons, in the middle of the fight, kept ramming into each other.

One of them got pissed off and tore out the other’s throat.

That in-fight was the only reason I made it out of the battle alive.

The only reason I gained the title was because Hesperos was right by the fallen dragon and provided another fatal blow, but the dragon would’ve died anyways. ”

“But our dragons are trained,” Ben argued. “You didn’t have any experience then. It won’t go down like that.”

Kieran shot him a flat look. “They’re not trained to fight against other dragons. They are wild creatures who listen to us, but they don’t obey us. Don’t let your ego get in the way. That’ll get you killed.”

“I don’t want to leave you two to deal with it by yourselves.” Nimue frowned. “What if they bring all three dragons, and you don’t have time to get to the others? Then it’d be three on two, and it’s us who will be overwhelmed. I don’t think we should risk it, especially with the eggs involved.”

“I’m your captain. Are you doubting my capabilities?” Kieran’s voice had a hard edge.

“I’m not.” Her eyes flicked to me. “But Selena is a new rider with not even a year of experience under her belt. You’ll be watching out for her too if it comes to a fight. You should have someone with more experience by your side.”

I willed myself to ignore the sting of her words. She wasn’t wrong.

“The more dragons there are, the more chaotic and riskier it’ll be.” There was no arguing with Kieran. He had clearly made up his mind. “This is what needs to happen in order to avoid an all-out fight. Andova will think the same. And should the worst arise, most of you will be nearby to assist.”