Page 2 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury
A wave of nerves hit me. The wig was a necessity after I got my first wanted portrait. Every big job I took was a risk I wouldn’t make it home.
I reached into the box and applied some bright red rouge that I’d purposely left here. I preferred the bright color, and something about it made me feel strong. Like I could take on the world. I needed some of that strength tonight. “I love you, Clara. I’ll return once the job is done. It might go late so stay with Brynn until then.”
Clara refused to look at me. I waited a bit to see if she’d respond. When she didn’t, I turned on my heel and left.
I weaved my way effortlesslythrough the streets.Just another face in the crowd.That was the whole point of my job. I wouldn’t be a good thief if I stood out. I let the chatter of the streets wash over me and tried to shake off the knot in my stomach.It’s for the best. Clara will forgive me when I come back with more coin than we could dream of.
I was pulled from my thoughts when awhooshcame from above, flinging fruits and vegetables from their stalls. I looked up to see a massive golden dragon flying over us and headed to the castle.
Time stopped as I stared.Beautiful.No matter how often we saw dragons go through Aesva, the capital of the kingdom of Lusadia, it would never stop being awe-inspiring. Everyone knew the name of this dragon, Umara the Unclaimed. For five hundred years, she had yet to claim a rider.
“Move!” I was entirely unprepared for the hand that came out of nowhere and shoved me to the ground. I skinned my hand as I caught myself on the cobblestone street, hissing in pain. The person ignored me and elbowed their way through the crowd, fighting to get a glimpse of the dragon.
“Are you alright, young lady?” a familiar voice asked.
“I’m fine,” I mumbled, ignoring William’s offered hand and heaving myself to my feet. William was worse off than me and my sister, but he was always there to offer a helping hand to anyone who needed it. Seeing his dirty, ragged clothes left an uncomfortable stone in my belly. “Thanks.” I walked away before he could get another word in.
The crowd came alive once the dragon passed outof sight. “Umara’s been coming more often. Do you think she’s finally going to choose the seventh rider?” someone asked.
“What a load of shit. No one will become the seventh rider. Anyone who tries will get torched.”
“They stopped testing ages ago,” a shopkeeper said.
“That's not what I heard. A servant from the capital said they’re gonna ask for volunteers.Anyonecan try to bond with her.”
“Anyone can try to get torched,” said the shopkeeper. “But only someone highborn will get chosen.”
“You don’t know that! What I wouldn’t give to be a part of the dragonsguard.”
One of the younger women smiled and pressed her hands to her heart. “To fight alongside King Luther would be an honor. And with Umara claimed, we can finally end Andova’s rebellion. The kingdom will be united.”
The shopkeeper snorted. “A bit optimistic, don’t you think?”
“The dragonsguard will save us all,” the woman insisted. “King Luther knows how important they are. That’s why he’s going to allow anyone to claim Umara. I know it in my heart.”
I rolled my eyes and walked away from the crowd. I didn’t care for the dragonsguard or the politics with Andova—the southern kingdom that broke off from us after two twin princes got greedy one hundred years ago. People cared too much about this. The crown wouldneverallow a lowborn to claim a dragon.
I used their distraction to steal two wallets before heading to my meeting. It was all the way out in the slums, in an even poorer region than my own tent. From the outside, it was nothing impressive but inside was crowded with four burly men and Randall, the town’s information broker. He didn’t look intimidating, but his calculating and shrewd mind made him so. In this cramped little tent where everyone stood, this scrawny man held all the power and he knew it, reveled in it.
“You made it.” He smirked at me. “Just when I thought you weren’t going to show up.”
I scoffed. “There was no way in hell I was going to miss this meeting.” I thrust my hand forward. “But I took a big risk coming here, and I was told there would be payment for showing up. So…” I made a grabbing motion with my hand.
Randall rolled his eyes but handed over a coin purse. I snatched it from him, counted every coin, and then stuffed the coin purse in my breastband.
“Why is this scrawny street urchin here?” one of the older men asked.
I clenched my jaw and reached into my boot. “I can easily show you my skills, but I don’t think you’d like a knife in your thigh.”
The man raised his brows. “Kitty’s got claws.”
Rage simmered under my skin. “Go ahead, keep pushing my buttons. It’s more money for me if I slice your belly open.”
“Leave your arguments out on the field, please.”Randall folded his arms, his eyes glittering. “This meeting was facilitated not by me, but by Raven. They know you’re the best. That’s why they are hiring you to do this job. If you accept it.”
I arched a brow. “And just what is the job?” Alarm bells rang in my mind. Everything about this was sketchy. You don’t get paid just to attend a meeting. That wasn’t normal. And yet…Clara needs me. She needs more medicine.
One more job. Then we’ll leave.But the argument was weak, even to me. If Raven contacted me again with the same amount of coin offered, I’d stick my neck out once more.
