Page 15 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury
“I always knew you guys lied to us.”
Gareth shrugged. “If we told the kingdom everything that went on, people would run screaming through the streets. Our job is a very important one, Selena. It’s not just for the glory or the prestige or for some royal stuck in a castle. We’re saving people.”
I averted my gaze. I didn’t care about other people. Clara was the only person in the world who mattered to me. “Okay.”
“You’ll see once you go out on the field.” He straightened, playing with the edges of his leather gloves. “Speaking of that, we’ve touched down on it briefly, but your features will change slightly once you’re fully bonded to Umara. The changes will ensure you’re a qualified rider.” He pointed to his ears. “This is the most obvious change. For reasons we can’t quite explain, our ears get pointed. But less obvious to the public, is that our vision gets sharper and our hearing improves. Our eyes also get more protection against the wind, so we don’t have to wear goggles when we fly. Our strength, durability, and lifespan are increased as well.”
I thought about the whispered rumors earlier and how the townsfolk thought of the dragonsguard as almost gods. “A lot of peasants believe the nobles are descended from fae and that the dragons bring out your fae blood. What do you think of that?”
“I’ve heard the same rumors. Some regions believe in that rumor more, and others don’t. Personally, I’m not sure. Dragons exist. Why not fae? We’ll never know the truth. The answer has been lost to time, and our science is limited. It’s not as if we can ask our dragons. So… we have myths to make up for what we don’t know.” He cocked his head to the side. “It does make you wonder, why are some people chosen and others aren’t? Is it due to fae blood? When my dragon, Eutimio, claimed me, it was for emotional reasons. He saw something in me.” His lips twitched into a faint smile. “But maybe he had other requirements. Who knows.”
“But aren’t you curious?”
“Oh, it drives me crazy.” Gareth laughed. “But I’m more than content with my bond to Eutimio, so I’ll settle for the non-answer. Anyway, to get back on track, you can expect these physical changes to occur within the first year of the bonding. And usually within one to three years, your Gift will manifest—the power given to you from your dragon. For myself, that’s healing. You already know Kieran’s—the ability to manipulate shadows.”
He tapped the back of the desk. “In the meantime, you’ll train with us. It’s essential we learn how to work as a unit. We’ll also work on your hand-to-hand combat as well as dragon combat. Until King Luther deems you ready, we’ll keep up your history lessons.”
I looked down at the swirling black mark on my arm. “I didn’t ask to be drafted.”
“I know you didn’t.” Gareth exhaled and jumped off the desk. “But the moment you took on that heist, you sealed your fate. As much as we may wish it, we can’t undo what we’ve done. The only way through is forward.”
My mouth dried. “What was in the treasure chest?”For the heist,I didn’t say aloud, but I knew he understood what I meant.
Gareth stiffened. “That’s classified. Even I don’t know. Perhaps once you’ve gained the king’s trust, he might answer your question in the future. Now that’s enough for today. We’ll get dressed and then head out to training.”
The training field was pretty far from the castle—a little over an hour by horseback. By the time Gareth and I arrived, everyone else was already there. Aurelia sneered when I looked at her, Kieran scowled, and Benjiro waved. At least Luther wasn’t here.
I studied Benjiro. It was the first time I’d gotten to take a proper look at him. He had straight black hair, teasing dark eyes, and a tall build. “I’m Benjiro Markos, but my friends call me Ben.” He sauntered over to me, his lips curling into an easy grin. “So can you.”
“Great.” I didn’t need someone to flirt with. I needed someone to get me the fuck out of here. I looked over his shoulder at the five dragons scattered alongside the field and Umara nowhere in sight. My heart twisted, and I found myself struggling to stand as a wave ofanger, disappointment, sorrowcrashed over me.
“Luther asked Umara to stay away for today,” Gareth said. “We weren’t sure whether she’d listen or not, but I guess she decided to play nice.”
Kieran straightened. “Everyone, line up. Gareth and Selena, come here.” His tone left no room for argument. With just a few simple words, everyone scrambled to get into a line.Like a king.“Gareth, introduce everyone.”
Gods, I hated him so much. It was just like how Luther had acted, like he was too good to do the introductions himself. Gareth didn’t look bothered though. “You’ve already met Nimue and Kieran. This is Aurelia.”
Aurelia folded her arms. “I’m not interested inbreaking bread with a criminal. She should be ashes.”
Umara roared in the back of my mind, loud enough to make my ears ring. But what was surprising was how the other dragons reacted, how they shifted. Aurelia’s silver dragon actually dipped its head. Aurelia, in turn, flinched ever so slightly but didn’t back down from her statement and stared resentfully at me.
“And I don’t want to befriend a stuck-up bitch. Looks like we can agree on that.”
Her face contorted with rage, ready to fire back, but Kieran cut her off when he snapped, “That’s enough.” His hard eyes narrowed at me. “Until you succeed in your first flight, I wouldn’t be so cocky. Umara can still reject you.”
Aurelia went back to smiling. I wanted to punch that look off her face.
Ben’s eyes twinkled when Gareth motioned for him to go next. “We were just introduced. If you ever need to de-stress, let me know. It doesn’t have to be complicated.”
Aurelia scoffed. “I wouldn’t. Not unless you want to get fleas.”
Oh, that’s it.“Listen here, bitch—”
“That’s enough,” Kieran commanded. I gritted my teeth but fell silent like everyone else. “We’ve done our introductions. Get back in line.” He folded his arms and surveyed us. “Luther says our little thief here will accompany us for training for the rest of the week. Assuming that doesn’t go to shit, she’ll bond with herdragon at the end of the week. Our job is to prepare her for that.”
Aurelia huffed. “I hope the bond drives her crazy.”
“What will she do if she can’t participate in the drills?” Ben asked. “It’s a waste of our time if she’s just fetching water or doing regular training. She could do that on her own time with another trainer.”
