Page 57 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury
His touch kindled a fire under my skin. I couldn’t move, and a large part of me didn’t want to. “So you’re saying my only option is to stay or die? Real inspiring. Even if we get those eggs, we’ll still be in another war. Andova will keep fighting.”
“That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying if you want your sister to be happy and safe, you’ll stay in the dragonsguard. You will always be in danger. That’s just how it is. But your sister doesn’t have to be. I’m asking you to trust me. Give me a year. If Luther doesn’t allow you to visit her regularly in a year, then I’ll take you.”
The knot in my stomach wound even tighter. “How do I know you’re not lying?”
“You don’t. You have to trust me.”
I laughed. “A tall order.”
“I’ve told you so many times. You’re important. Possibly one of the most important people in the continent. Just you working in the dragonsguard gives hope to so many people. I can’t inspire that kind of motivation. Not like you. If you can’t trust me at my word, trust in the fact that I want to use you. I want you near me. I want to build a brighter future, and I can only do so with you by my side.” His lips curved into a crooked smile. “What do you say? Will you stay by my side? I’ll take all the darkness, so you can shine in the light. It’d be my pleasure.”
My breath hitched. All the security I wanted for my sister and myself, I had it if I stayed.And if Kieran will handle the darkness…It wasn’t truly a choice. Not really, but maybe, maybe I could live with it. “After the mission, you’ll take me to see my sister.” I pulled my hand away. “And if I’m not allowed to see her regularly by the end of the year, you’ll arrange for monthly visits. In return, I’ll stay in the dragonsguard.” I held out my hand and offered it.
Kieran grinned. “You drive a hard bargain, little thief, but I’m down.” He clasped my hand and shook it. But he didn’t pull away. With our hands still locked, he leaned forward and whispered in the shell of my ear, “I look forward to our partnership.”
For a while, the flight could have been considered almost peaceful. I still didn’t trust Kieran, but hedidn’t seem the type to go back on his word, and this was better than Luther’s flimsy promise of ‘eventually’ letting me see my sister. At least with Kieran I had a deadline. Something to look forward to. And if he backed out, well, by the end of the year I’d have a good amount of training under my belt and hopefully have my Gift. Then I’d give him hell.
Umara purred, warmth flooding the bond. I smiled and patted her scales.‘We’re totally going to fuck shit up,’I thought down the bond. Her purr got even louder. I exhaled and looked up at the starry sky. I’d never tire of this view.
To think, we have access to something this beautiful.I stretched my hand toward the sky.Wouldn’t it be nice if I could grab a star and give it to Clara?
The thought was utterly ridiculous, and I was reminded of a story my mom loved to tell me, about the Child who asked for something pretty, something whimsical, so the Mother created the stars. And when the Child wished to touch them, the Mother created the Afterworld for him, where he could be with the stars.
Something slammed into Umara. I screamed and my body lurched to the side, but the saddle kept me in place. My blood froze when I looked over. A gryphon. It had to be. The creature was twice the size of a lion. It had a bird’s head, impossibly sharp talons, huge wings, and the lower half of its body was more like a lion, with a long tail. Its eyes were blood red.
Gods, they’re real.I knew they were, and yet… yet I always assumed the stories were exaggerated. Those red eyes looked at me with so much hate, it sent a shiver down my spine.
There was no time to react. Another gryphon swooped in from behind. I didn’t realize what it was doing, what it had planned, until the first gryphon lunged again at Umara. Umara screeched, lunging forward in a dizzying dive. She grabbed the gryphon and bit it in half.
That’s when I realized what the two gryphons had done. Why they attacked Umara.
My saddle. The straps were gone. I’d been gripping Umara, but not tight enough. When she dipped down, I went flying. My body smacked against her scales. Pain had my body in a chokehold, but none of that mattered when I tumbled off her back and went flying, hurtling toward the ground.
Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fuck.I couldn’t see a thing. The wind whipped me around like a ragdoll. Sky. Ground. Gold. That’s all my vision held. Fuck. Clara would be left all alone. Would Luther kill her? Would she still be treated like a dragonsguard’s family?
Umara screeched, and my ears rang.
I’m sorry, Clara.
Something cool wrapped around me and stopped my terrifying fall. Darkness wrapped me up tight in a ball, and I floated in its caress until I pressed against something hard. The darkness slipped away from my face but still kept me pushed against that solid weight. Kieran. He must’ve used his shadows to grab me and keep me pressed against him.
He threw his hand forward, and I followed his gaze. Shadows wrapped around the remaining gryphon and easily snapped its neck. Umara roared and bit into it, even though it had already died from Kieran’s attack. The two halves plummeted to the ground.
A third gryphon came out from the trees, but this time, Umara killed it easily. She kept the screeching gryphon in her teeth and shook her head, making the gryphon shake wildly in her grasp. I winced when she bit down, and the crunch echoed across the sky. We looked around, but no other gryphons came.
I couldn’t stop shaking, and I didn’t give a damn that I clutched Kieran like a child. Gryphons had just attacked me. I almost died. Why the hell did they attack me? They never did that and were only known to strike back if a rider attacked first.
“There were three gryphons.” Kieran’s tight voice cut through the silence.
“Kieran?”
His expression darkened. “Not only that but they attacked you. Unprovoked.”
My gut curdled. “Kieran?”
“The only way we’re able to fight them is because they’re predictable. And for there to be three gryphons… a nest is nearby.”
“But there were only three of them.”
