Page 88 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t get cocky. You’re right about my sister. She’s happy where she is, and I don’t want to take that away from her. I’m not even sure if sheshouldcome stay at the castle.”
Kieran’s cocky grin faded. My stomach coiled into a knot.He gets it.The others didn’t. Not really. “It’s hard when your loved ones are better off without you. I’m glad Wes isn’t a rider, though he hates me for it. But the commoners don’t realize what being a dragonsguard actually means. Yes, they tell storiesabout you and your name will go down in history, but most riders don’t live to see forty. That’s why I’m content not to be in Regina’s life. But your situation is different. Your sister loves you, and I truly think she’d want to stay by your side. I can’t blame her.”
His words stroked a fire in my belly. “Why don’t you say anything to Wes? I know you know about the advice Wes told me. Ben and Gareth can’t keep their mouths shut.”
His mouth twitched. “Glory is all he’s ever wanted. He deserves to hate me. Intentionally or not, I did steal that from him. But I don’t care if he hates me. As long as he’s alive.”
My lungs constricted. I felt the same. If anyone understood that feeling, it was Kieran. I closed my eyes, heavily aware that I sat so close to him.What am I doing?Mine and Kieran’s friendship was because of a mutually beneficial deal we’d struck. If that went away, would Kieran even want to be near me? I doubted it.
“He’ll probably warn you again at the festival. Fair warning, though I’m sure you’re already aware, the rest of the Noble Houses will be there. It’s their time to complain.” He snorted. “My stepmother actively wishes for my death. She wants someone she can control in the dragonsguard. At this point, I’m living just to spite her and my father.”
I inhaled. “Kieran—”
“It’s a joke.”
But it didn’t seem that way. Not completely. Not from that shadowed look in his eyes. “That sucks.”
“It does. But that’s life.”
I gave into the urge and laid down. When I looked at Kieran, he was watching me. Our faces were merely inches from each other. Gods, he had such long pretty eyelashes. It wasn’t fair. “I wish Clara got to go.” I didn’t like Wes, but I hated the thought of her staying with some random that wasn’t him.
Kieran hummed. “It’s better for her not to. All those Houses will be testing you, trying to see your weakness. When you’re with her, it’s obvious.”
“Clara isn’t a weakness,” I said sharply.
He reached forward and flicked my braid. “That wasn’t what I was implying. She’s your strength.” The look in his eyes was too knowing. He knew. Wes was probably his. As well as Daeza.
I swallowed. “A year, right?”
“A year,” he confirmed. “Ideally, Luther will have given his approval, but even without it, I’ll help you see her.”
“How can we speed up the timeline?”
“We get the dragon eggs. Once Luther hatches them, the fight for them will be off. Dragons won’t kill baby dragons—that gives us five years of guaranteed peace. And if humans try to intervene and fight anyway—it’s a bloodbath. About sixty years ago, after the war ended, we almost started anew when two eggs were found. An entire island got wiped off the map. That’s why we’re treading so carefully and keeping the eggs hidden until Raven is found. But we can’t wait forever lest they get the jump on us.”
“After the five years, won’t we just go back to war?” I frowned. “Is that your plan?”
“A lot can happen in five years. We won’t be at war forever.” His eyes glittered with unspoken plans.
I trusted him to come up with something. Kieran wasn’t the type of man to gamble recklessly. Once we had the eggs, we’d have a total of ten dragons against Andova’s three. Maybe Andova would finally cede their land then or work out some sort of territory agreement. “But we need the eggs. And we need to find Raven. Has there really been no leads?”
“They’re good at covering their tracks.” Kieran frowned. “But we will find them. Even if we have to risk hatching the eggs first, we’ll find them eventually.”
“How long will you wait until you say fuck it and get the eggs yourself?”
“It’ll save more lives if we can do this when we know we’re in control of the secret routes, and Raven isn’t lying in wait to take the eggs. But, if Raven grows bolder and forces my hand, I’ll get the eggs.”
I let out a frustrated noise. “So… in a couple months?”
He rolled his eyes. “This isn’t something we can rush. I’ll let you know if anything changes. For now, focus on what you can control. The festival is your debut. We need to change your image with Andova. The last they saw you, they almost killed you. The missions have helped change that, but the festival will cement their opinion on whether or not you are a helpless girl who got lucky or a warrior. Show themyour blades, little thief.”
I exhaled. “I hate how uncertain this all is. Do you think Clara should stay at Daeza? If she’s at the capital, Luther might try to use her or hell, Andova might come for her.”
“He’ll still do that even if she stays at Daeza. At least at the capital, you can watch out for her.”
I exhaled. “I don’t want her involved in the war.” But that was too depressing to think about. There was something else I needed to tell him, something pressing. “Your brother wants my sister.”
“He doesn’t deserve her.” He grinned when I stared at him in shock. “He needs to grow up. The capital isn’t everything. Glory isn’t everything. But regardless, even if he can be a moron, Wes will protect her with his life. He’s chivalrous, to an almost detrimental degree. But I’m certain she’ll charm him into using his brain for once.” His grin widened. “That’s something you two have in common.”
