Page 14 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury
As if I’m stupid.But I kept the thought to myself. “What’s the point in it?”
Nimue looked up at the ceiling and muttered a curse under her breath. “Your response confirms you need the lessons.” Her expression hardened as she met my gaze. “Everyone looks at us to be their savior. The public relies on us. Our family Houses—maybe not in your case—rely on us to keep their needs in mind and be their ear to the king. We can’t afford to mess up and shake the public’s faith in us. And you… you’re a commoner. They’re going to expect you to mess up. Andova isn’t going to take Umara claiming you lightly. If you survive the flight, they’ll come for you. You need to show them you’re strong and make them see you’re not a weak link. The sooner you perform like a true rider, the sooner you can see your sister.”
She’s not my friend.Even her tone was dismissive. She looked at me like she was sure I wouldn’t be around.She thinks Umara will reject me.“Fine.”
Nimue softened. “Look, I don't like this as much as you do. I’m sorry about your sister. It sucks. It really does. But you have to understand. You’re lucky. You committedtreason,Selena. That’s not something that people get second chances on. Luther would be a fool to trust you right off the bat. And I know it’s awful you can’t see your sister, but if you truly love her, you’ll understand this is her best shot in life. Family of the dragonsguard are protected, even after we die in battle.” She clasped her hand on my shoulder. “It’s a lot to take in, but I am on your side.”
After we finished breakfast, I followed her through the castle. I couldn’t forget—there were enemies all around me. I looked at the awed faces of the guards. My own kingdom, Lusadia, didn’t trust me, andAndova certainly didn’t want me to stay alive either.How the hell am I going to get out of this?
Nimue led me back to the rider’s wing where Gareth sat on the couch beside Kieran, the two of them whispering to each other. Kieran looked up just as we walked in and narrowed his eyes.
Heat flared through my body. I ignored his hard gaze and focused on Gareth. Nimue coughed. “Try not to bore her to death, Gareth.” She sent me a lazy wave and then slipped inside her room—the room right before mine.
Gareth rolled his eyes before standing. “There’s a room right outside our wing that we like to use.”
I followed him, heavily aware of the intense stare never once leaving my back. “He’s a creep,” I muttered.
Gareth laughed loudly. “He’s a worrier. Don’t worry, he’ll come around.” He tilted his head to the right and propped open the door. The room looked like a big empty classroom with three rows of tables and chairs right behind them. In the front of the room was a large chalkboard.
But my gaze went to a large painting to the left of the room. “How vain is he? I’ve seen that portrait like four fucking times.”
Gareth hid a smile behind his hand. The painting in question depicted Luther riding his dragon, both of them glaring fiercely at the viewer. “To be fair, we have to project a certain image. The king especially. He’s the reason we’re able to have riders after all. It was his ancestor that made the union between people and dragons.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “Is today’s lesson going to be how awesome and special he is?”
Gareth snorted and hopped onto the desk, swinging his feet. “Gods no. But it’s important to understand our history, or at least, our people’s interpretation of it.”
I raised my brow. “What do you mean?”
“The stories say his ancestor, Godric Aesvara, had a special connection to dragons. That’s why he’s gifted with full immunity to fire, even against other dragon’s fires. Luther, like his ancestors before him, is the one who directs the dragons to choose their riders, though its ultimately up to the dragons themselves if they accept.”
“But he didn’t pick me.”
“He didn’t,” Gareth agreed. “Which goes against public perception. Not great for his image, is it?”
I found myself smiling. “No, it’s not.” Though immediately, guilt ate at my insides. What was Clara doing? How far away was she?
“It’s incredibly important how we’re viewed amongst our people, our peers, and our enemies. What do you know about the dragonsguard and what we do to protect the realm?”
I smirked. “That they’re the savior of the realm, and we’re oh-so-lucky to have them because they’ll save us from the evil and greedy southern kingdom of Andova and the twisted gryphons that gather in the night.” Gareth didn’t react to my sarcasm. With a huff, I continued. “The dragonsguard hasbeen around since Godric Aesvara claimed his first dragon. We were fine for centuries, but we got greedy, so greedy that we cannibalized ourselves when the two royal twins were born.
“The civil war decimated a lot of the dragon population. Lusadia split into northern and southern halves—the southern half becoming Andova, named after the twin’s mother’s maiden name. Ever since then, the dragonsguard have protected the border and fought off gryphons that appear randomly—but it’s not like any gryphons are ever really seen. Seems like a hoax to me, really. Anyways, the kingdom caused its own problems. It’s been a constant fight for control even after the peace treaty was signed,” I said.
“You’re right. Not about the gryphons—we’ll talk about that later, but about the kingdom’s greed.” His lips twitched when I sent him a shocked look. “When Lusadia split, it created a rift. We can’t feel secure until the other side is under our control. Dragons aren’t a threat to be taken lightly.
“A single dragon was all it took to get the western kingdom of Raghnall to back down. There’s so much at stake. We have more dragons than Andova, but if we were to ever fall to them, we’d be like Raghnall. Helpless and powerless. That is why the dragonsguard is primarily around, to ensure we don’t fall to Andova. And what’s even worse—we could end up like Ethava. What do you know about it?”
I shifted. “That it’s a wasteland. The people rebelled or something. They were dangerous, so we built the magic wall to keep them out, and then we killed them before they could turn on us.”
“Why do you think the wall stays?”
My mouth dried. “As a reminder to our people. A warning and a promise of safety.” I shook my head. “I already know all this. It’s nothing new.”
Gareth hummed. “Maybe some of it. Though I can assure you, gryphons aren’t a hoax. They’re very real and very dangerous.”
I leaned back on the desk. “Then why haven’t we seen them in the capital?” It wasn’t that I thought they weren’t real. I’d seen some on display, but I was confident the king was playing it up. No one ever talked about gryphon attacks. Ever.
“Gryphons avoid dragons and their riders. It’s a phenomenon we can’t explain, but they never attack us, only civilians.” He pointed to his ears. “My best bet is that the changes our dragons put us through protects us. Other than that, it’s part of the image we project. We’vetaken outmanygryphons, more in the last two years than ever before, but we don’t go telling the public and raising their fears. We release the information when we need to.”
