Page 68 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury
And I hated that the rejection stung as deeply as it did.
Two days later, training was much of the same. Kieran barked out orders with unrestrained anger. Gareth kept glancing between the two of us and fiddling with his gloves. He knew something. I had half a mind to interrogate him on what he knew, but I wouldn’t be that pathetic. No, I’d confront Kieran myself. Eventually.
“You should tell him to stop being such a jerk,” I said to Gareth once we landed in the dragon caves. I wasn’t above a little inference.
Gareth eyed Kieran as he stalked off, leaving the rest of us in the dust. Gareth winced. “He’s going through some things.”
“So am I.”
Gareth rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. Uh… it’s just a lot of stress. Especially with the search for Raven.”
It was a bunch of bullshit. But Kieran was Gareth’s best friend, so I let it be.
Of course, I shouldn’t have underestimated Gareth. After we all showered and headed back to the dragonsguard wing, Gareth said, “I need to go to town to pick up some books.” Gareth grinned at Kieran. “You said to partner up while tensions are high, right?” He said it with that faux innocence I knew meant trouble.
Despite how pissed I was at Kieran, I fought a smile at the look Kieran shot Gareth. It was full ofexasperated fondness. One he never showed any of us. “What are you getting at? Just say it.”
Gareth grinned. “Come with me to town.”
“Alright.” Kieran still looked suspicious. I didn’t blame him. Gareth clearly had something under his sleeve.
“Don’t you think Selena should get more exposure?” And there it was. Here was him going in for the kill, though I was surprised to be involved in it, and the glint in his eyes set me even more on edge. He knew Kieran wanted to bite my head off, so what was his deal? He wasn’t cruel, and this wasn’t a game for him, so why? “The people need to know they can start relying on her, especially after the attack.”
Kieran exhaled. “And you believe going into town can achieve that?”
“You know as well as I do that the people need to see her to know she's there. Right now, they've only heard rumors—the latest one being the assassination attempt. We need to control the narrative.”
Kieran let out a measured breath. Was the thought of being near me that terrible?“Then she can go to town with you instead.”
“I’m not a dog. In fact, I’m right here, assholes.”
They both ignored me. Gareth grinned widely at Kieran. “I would, but my ability isn’t that defensive. And didn’t you say you’d protect her until she could defend herself? Ben, do you think she can defend herself against any assassins?”
“Please don’t involve me in this mess. You know hewon’t take it easy on me,” Ben complained.
“Ben.” It was almost psychotic how Gareth could switch his tone.
Ben blanched. “She’s not ready yet. Sorry, Captain, he scares me more than you.”
“See, her trainer agrees. And since you also agreed she should go into town, you should take responsibility. It’s too risky for you not to tag along. What do you think, Nimue?”
Nimue, my savior.
“I agree.”
Nimue, you bitch.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Gareth got his way—a common theme, I’d begun to realize. Kieran, Gareth, and I flew into town just a little before dinner time. At least it wasn’t a total bust. Umara was happy to spread her wings, but Gareth hadn’t stopped being a giddy ass.
Kieran was a child and ignored the both of us, acting like we didn’t exist. It didn’t matter how many times Gareth teased and prodded at him, Kieran remained silent with his jaw clenched.
I expelled a breath. There was no need to let his sour mood kill my day. The times I got to go to town were next to zero. Fuck Kieran. I’d make today a nice day. Even if I had to ignore all the people staring at the three of us as if we’d hung the stars. It was weird. So often, I felt on the outskirts of the dragonsguard, but to these people, I was one of them. My new pointy ears made that apparent regardless of how I felt. Still, it left a bitter taste in my mouth. It didn’t matter if I was dressed in jewels or riding a dragon, I’d always be that poor girl struggling to survive and provide for her family.
“Can we stop by The Dragon’s Hearth?” I asked Gareth, ignoring Kieran right back.
Gareth nodded. “It’s along the way. I don’t see a problem with it.” He grinned at Kieran, daring him to argue. Unlike me, Gareth found a game in prodding at Kieran’s patience. It was becoming all too clear to me that above all else, Gareth was a little shit.
