Page 38 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury
I could easily see why Caddel Province was known for its beauty. Most of the land was thick forestry with not a village in sight. There were also huge mountain cliffs that made setting up a town almost impossible. The spot we landed at was a big space between a circle of steep mountains. Tucked by one of the mountains was a relatively small castle. Nowhere near as extravagant as the royal castle, but I could easily see a lord’s third son residing in it. How the hell did someone manage to build a castle in this hellish terrain? But the answer was obvious. Dragons.
“We had that built because sometimes we need longer training sessions or a rest spot,” Nimue said.
I stumbled when I slid down Umara, and Ben snickered. I almost faceplanted, would have, if it not for Kieran appearing from the shadows to wrap his arms around my waist and steady me. I shoved him away. “Not a word.” My cheeks heated, and I ignored Kieran’s chuckle. My waist tingled from his touch.
“You get used to it,” Ben said. “One time, I had to deliver a message across the country, and my legs were so numb, Gareth had to help me out of my saddle because that prick refused.” He pointed a finger at Kieran. When Kieran arched a brow, Ben raised his hands in defeat. “Of course your time is more valuable than helping a poor fellow dragonsguard, O Fearless Captain.” He shot me a wink when Kieran exhaled.
“Webothfell off Eutimio’s back,” Gareth chimed in. “Then I had to heal the both of us because Ben broke his elbow, and I twisted my ankle. After that, we practiced rescue dismounts for hours.” The haunted look in his eyes made me smile.
“That’s nothing. Try being on your monthly bleed and having to fly across the country to deliver war supplies.” Nimue rubbed her thighs. “Honestly, so unfair.”
Kieran cleared his throat, and we all looked at him. “We're going to practice running mounts. This is a review, so I expect perfection. Especially since our dragons will be stationary.” The glare he leveled us could cut glass. “If you fuck up, we’ll all run laps until we puke.”
“Too easy.” Ben grinned before looking at me sheepishly. “Except for Selena. Sorry, Selena.”
I shrugged. “It’s fine.”
We started the drill by having our dragons lined up, and Kieran went first. “Watch and learn. Try not to fuck it up too badly. We don’t need Gareth wasting energy by healing you.” Asshole. But I kept silent because I was too nervous at the thought of mounting Umara. Not when it took me a good couple minutes to climb up her scales.
Kieran did the mount effortlessly. Was the man even human? It took him less than thirty seconds to scale Hesperos. Lethal. Precise. Powerful. I swallowed as I watched his lean muscles contract as he climbed.Damn.He earned his titles. Dragonslayer. Shadow King. Reaper. I could imagine it as if the scene were right before me: Kieran taking charge and ending the battle before it even begun.
Kieran slid down Hesperos’s back. “After the rest of you go, Selena will keep practicing until she reaches an adequate time. Then we’ll practice runningdismounts—one with a little danger.”
Isodidn’t like that look in his eyes. By the time it was my turn, my stomach was in knots. I didn’t want to look stupid in front of everyone or disappoint Umara. What did she see in me anyways?
Umara growled, and I shoved down my thoughts, wiping my sweaty palms on my sides. That’s right. I couldn’t doubt myself. Not right now. If I did, I’d fail.
Taking a deep breath, I charged. Upon the jump, my boot slid.Shit.My heart hammered against my ribcage, and I scrambled to gain my footing. Fuck.Her scales scraped my hands. Double fuck. But I was too hopped up on adrenaline to process the pain.
My arms screamed at me in protest, not used to carrying my body weight, but I continued to scale, faster than I ever had until finally, I sat atop Umara’s back. Though I stumbled when I slid down Umara’s side. I knew what I’d done wrong. When Kieran and the others dismounted, they did it in a fluid motion. They workedwiththe scales instead of against them. One stray movement had caused her scales to dig painfully into my ribs and throw me off balance.
“If this was a real attack, you’d be dead.” Kieran’s harsh tone cut across the training grounds. “Not only did you stumble on the mount, but you also stumbled during the dismount. In a real battle, you won’t have it so easy. There’ll be people attacking you or even a gryphon. You were so focused on doing it right, you let down your guard—that’s even more dangerous than fumbling.”
I couldn’t even bother with a retort. He was right.
“Do we all have to run laps?” Ben asked. When we both swirled on him, he raised his hands. “She’s a newbie. She shouldn’t be expected to run it perfectly.”
Kieran narrowed his eyes. “New plan. Everyone, run three more laps. After you finish, little thief, practice the mount and dismount ten more times. I expect you to have it down without stumbling at least once. The rest of you will do moving dismounts. Nowgo.”
What followed next was hell on earth. My poor lungs were getting used to being in such a terrible state. Though, at least, I didn’t come in last this time—Ben did. I couldn’t help but grin at him, though he obviously couldn’t care less about losing.
I managed to mount and dismount once without stumbling. I couldn’t cheer myself on too much. Not when I looked at the others and saw what they were doing. While their dragons flew toward the ground, those crazy assholes jumped off their dragons and landed in a battle pose.
They’re not human.
They’re fucking crazy.
Kieran looked especially lethal as he slid down Hesperos’s back. He landed with a dagger gripped in his hands. His outfit perfectly hugged his body, and the veins in his arms bulged. The wind rustled his messy black hair, making him look especially dangerous. Damn. I couldn’t deny he looked good, even if his personality was awful. “If you have time to gawk, you’re not working hard enough,” he snapped.
Handsome jerk.
“Let's take a ten minute break,” Gareth suggested.
“She has to learn.” Kieran folded his arms. “If she doesn’t, she’ll get herself killed.”
“She can't be at her best when she's exhausted, you know that. We could use a break. I’m tired, and I know Ben’s dying. His stamina has always been the worst.”
“Rude.” Ben grinned and sat on the ground. “But fair. I’m dying.”
