Page 7 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury
Hesperos growled and stepped closer. I couldn’t look away from those furious eyes as he opened his jaws, revealing teeth as big as my forearms. Fire swelled in the base of his throat.
I’m so sorry, Clara.
Time slowed, and I had to fight the urge to look at my sister one last time, to plead for her forgiveness.You were right. I messed everything up. I’m sorry.I braced myself for the end.
But then a massive golden dragon swooped across the pavilion and rammed into the black dragon. My jaw dropped.The golden dragon. Umara.A wild dragon who’d been riderless for centuries. What was shedoing here?
Hesperos didn’t fall, but he did stumble ever so slightly before regaining his footing. He roared at Umara and gnashed his jaws. Umara lunged forward and nipped at his neck, inches from his throat.
I hadn’t blamed Harold for peeing himself. I was sure if I had drunk anything these last twenty-four hours, I would have pissed myself already.A dragon fight.In the civil war a hundred years ago, fights between dragons killed hundreds. No one was safe. Not dragons. Not riders. Whole villages crumbled. Dragon fights were the stuff of nightmares. Something to be avoided at all costs.
I knew in my bones how this fight would go. Umara would win. She wasmassive.The biggest and baddest dragon in the kingdom. She didn’t listen to anyone, and her fire could turn someone to ash in a second, not the handful of seconds it took every other dragon.
Just when I was certain that we were all about to witness a legendary nightmarish battle, Hesperos stilled. Umara gnashed her teeth, unmoving from her spot inches from his throat. Then Hesperos shuffled back, keeping his head low. Umara growled one more time before turning to me.
What the fuck?
I found myself trapped in place, unable to look away from those golden eyes shining so bright they could have been mini suns. The intelligence in those eyes… the fighting spirit… and even more unbelievable, the compassion within them. I stood there, watching her as she searched deep within my soul, judging my worthiness.
Why are you doing this?
My skin tingled, both on the inside and outside. Emotions crashed over me, strong and ancient. Those feelings… they didn’t belong to me. Something close to pride caressed the back of my head and sorrow pushed against my heart.
The moment ended when Umara opened her jaws, disconnecting me from those ancient emotions and leaving me hollow. It was as if all warmth had left my body, and I almost tumbled to the ground.Bring it back,I wanted to cry.Don’t leave me alone.
But I spoke too soon. Umara roared. I had half a second to see the fire in the back of her throat before flames consumed me. My brain went haywire. I waited for the pain to kick in, for every nerve in my body to scream. But nothing came.
Shock. It has to be shock.But when I looked down at my bound hands… nothing happened. The flames had engulfed me, yes, but they weren’tharmingme. And that’s when I realized.The flames. They’re gold.
My right arm throbbed, and another glance down confirmed it. A swirling black tattoo, going all the way from my fingertips to my neck, had formed.
It’s not possible. It can’t be possible.
“Umara has claimed her rider.” Kieran’s voice rang out among the crowd.
I jerked my head up. Now that the flames died down, I could see clearly again. Umara hovered in front of me, her unflinching gaze never wavering. She raisedher head higher, and the sunlight clung to her golden scales.
This can’t be possible.
The mark tingled. A burst of emotion swept through me.Pride. Smugness. Wistfulness. Joy.
Kieran’s stormy grey eyes locked onto me. His fury couldn’t have been more obvious. “The dragonsguard is now complete.” His voice cut through the crowd, which had gone dead silent since Umara’s appearance.
My breath hitched.I didn’t die.But as I looked at Kieran and then to the dragonsguard, I knew I wasn’t safe. Afterlife, I was still chained to the fucking pavilion. But Umara had claimed me and saved me from death. That meant something, regardless of my past crimes. And she did it in front of an entire godsdamn crowd.A crowd that thinks the dragonsguard are a step down from the gods.
Umara huffed smoke in my face. A tendril ofamusementechoed in the back of my mind.
It’s her emotions,I realized. The legendary dragon rider’s bond. Umara could have chosen anyone, but she didn’t. She chose me, a fucking criminal set to be executed for treason.
“Shit,” I breathed. Everything just got a lot more complicated.
CHAPTER THREE
I couldn't say exactly what happened after that. My mind ran a mile a minute as I stood there, chained to the pavilion.At least my clothes didn’t burn.It was such a stupid thought, but it eased some of the fog in my mind. I glanced at my sister—at the wonder, confusion, and fear mixed plainly on her face as she clutched at Brynn.
“—talk to the king,” Kieran said, and then the cool shadows enveloped me, and the world went black.
The next thing I knew I was back in my cell. For a moment, I was sure I dreamed it until I looked down at my arm, at the swirling black tattoo.The mark of a rider.
