Page 142 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury
“What are you talking about?”
Luther’s gaze flicked to Wes and the other guards. With just one look, the guards grabbed Wes and filed out of the room. Clara was already unconscious, a blessing in itself. “The wall wasn’t erected because Ethava rebelled. If only it was that easy.”
I folded my arms. “Stop trying to scare me.” But despite my blase tone, unease pricked down my arms.
Luther laughed, and some of his discomfort faded now that he had the upper hand. “I wish I was. You and the rest of the public wouldn’t know, but for generations the rulers of Lusadia have had a note passed down to them. It said that the cruel immortal King Faustus is detained on the other side of the wall. The barrier is for our safety, because without it, he’d eradicate the rest of humanity.”
“How do I know you’re not fucking with me?”
Luther glanced at Umara. “Because your dragon knows it to be true. That’s why she hates gryphons. Faustus created them and unleashed them on our lands before the dragonsguard sealed him away. The gryphons were intended to purge humanity. That’s why they attack the villagers. They’re ordered to kill everyone who isn’t pure fae.”
My mouth dried. “Then why are they attacking me?”
Luther narrowed his gaze. “Why indeed?”
“The attacks…” The increased frequency of them. The urgency in which Luther sent me out. “What does it mean that they’re increasing?”
Luther’s expression hardened. “The barrier is failing, and we have to find a way to fix it before it collapses. That’s why you can’t leave, Selena. For whatever reason, Faustus wants you dead, even more so than the rest of us. Even if you escape me, you can’t run from him. This problem has been brewing for centuries. All of the dragonsguard is needed to stop him. He won’t rest until humanity is dead, and that includes your sister. But we’re not helpless. Along with the note, there was a box passed down as well. Inside it is the key to defeating Faustus.”
“Why haven’t you opened it?”
“Because for five hundred years, we’ve been warned not to. It’s a last resort—a war never meant to be fought. Once it’s opened, we can never go back to the world we lived in. But we’re past the point of hope. Once this is over, we need to open it.”
I looked down at Clara’s pinched brow. I wished I could tell him to fuck off, but I knew in my bones he wasn’t lying. The fear in his eyes gave him away. It wasn’t just for control that he revealed the note. No, he needed me. All of Lusadia might need me as well. And there was a chance we still wouldn’t be enough. “If I fight for you, what happens next?”
He grinned. “You save everyone you love from dying.”
“That’s not what I’m asking. I don’t care about everyone. I care about my sister, and you laid yourfilthy hands on her.”
“Then we can re-evaluate our deal. I won’t touch a hair on her head. I’ll overlook that monstrous Gift of yours. And in return, you retrieve the dragon eggs and give them back to me. We stop a rebellion, and then we stop Faustus from breaking down the barrier and destroying everything.”
Luther could be spilling bullshit, but I knew he wasn’t. It made sense. Why he was so excited about my power. Why the gryphon attacks kept increasing. Why they didn’t attack riders. And the wall… I’d known there was something off about it.
The play.I fought to control the muscles on my face. The ‘great evil’ that was mentioned. Kieran had said his ancestors spilled some of the land’s secrets. This was just another secret. My heart squeezed.Did he know?I took a deep breath and straightened my shoulders. Luther was right. There was no running. But I knew as soon as I left, Luther would take Clara. My advantage was well and truly gone. This was probably the last time I’d see my sister for a while. “I’m getting Clara settled in before I leave.”
“Don’t take too long. The others need you.”
I gave him a vulgar gesture.
I ran a warm rag over Clara’s sweaty brow. Thank the Mother she hadn’t woken up. Though given her furrowed brow and pinched expression, her rest wasn’t an easy one. She lay on her stomach, her head tilted to the side.
Wes lay on the other bed right by hers. His back was a bloody mess. After I left to get Clara settled, Luther needed someone to take his anger out on, and Wes was an easy target. Wes had woken up when the guards brought him to the healing wing but hadn’t spoken a word.
My stomach churned as I glanced between the two. Once again, Clara’s world would be uprooted because of me. And this time, she wouldn’t have Wes. I itched to take her and run, to leave Lusadia’s defense to the rest of the dragonsguard, but with the information Luther told me, running would be a death sentence. It made so much sense, and yet it confused the hell out of me. Why did Faustus target me? What had I done to gain his ire?
I brushed Clara’s hair out of her eyes. “Keep her safe,” I murmured.
“I will,” Wes croaked. But we both knew it was useless. Wes wasn’t getting up anytime soon. And when Luther took her—because he would take her to use against me—Wes wouldn’t go with her. Not when he’d proven his loyalty to her.
I searched his eyes and saw the rage and fear etched into his very being.Just like earlier.I swallowed. I found a sudden kinship to him. We both loved Clara more than ourselves, and we both failed to protect her. “You really care for her, don’t you?”
“I do.”
I loosed a breath and stood up. “Then find a way to protect her.”
“On my life, I will.” Determination filled his eyes,and he looked at Clara’s sleeping form. “I’ll find a way to make this right.”
I jerked a nod and forced myself to walk away.I’m sorry, Clara. You’re going to have to be strong for us.
