Page 71 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury
Kieran practically shoved his coins into the lady’s palm, grabbed the book, and then offered it to me. My gaze lingered between it and Kieran’s stormy eyes.Why?I had barely looked at the book and yet… he’d noticed. He’d seen me pause in front of it, knew I wanted it and got it for me. I clutched the book to my chest and stared at Kieran as we walked out.
“We get paid for being a part of the dragonsguard,” he murmured. “Luther and I have neglected that aspect of your duties. But I won’t anymore. Tonight, I’ll deliver your coin—backdated and with an additional bonus for your troubles—and after that, your pay is monthly. Don’t spend it all at once.”
The book in my arms felt like gold. I’d never seen anything like it, never truly thought about traveling before. But the thought was in my mind since we saw the father trees, and gods, did I want to see all Lusadia had to offer. Not only that, but I wanted to take Clarawith me. “Thank you.”
He froze and turned back to me, his gaze trapping me in place. “Don’t thank me. This was long overdue. You deserve to be paid for your sacrifice.”
Fire raged in my heart. Why did he have to do things like this? Just earlier today, he said we’d only be partners. So what was the truth? My chest felt too raw with emotion, so I merely nodded.
Of course, the moment we mounted our dragons, Kieran took off in the opposite direction.
“Moron,” Gareth called after him. He yelped when a shadow, thin because of the daylight, appeared out from his saddle and whacked him across the head lightly.
“Where is he going?”
Gareth shook his head. “Who knows, but he’s back to being an idiot who can't let himself be happy. Don’t worry, Selena, he'll come to his senses eventually.”
Why Gareth felt the need to tell me that, I wasn't sure, or rather, I didn’t want to admit it.
The days leading up to the mission were filled with a tense sort of anxiety. The others tried to act normal, but even they were worried about the nest. Kieran upped our training, and I didn’t complain. Because every night I dreamed of red eyes and horrible screams.
I took Gareth up on my proposal one late night when I couldn’t sleep and asked for a bookrecommendation. He’d never looked happier. That’s how I found myself in possession of a romance book involving two enemy pirates, a kidnapping, and one ship. His tastes were extremely cheesy and surprisingly raunchy, but it was a nice distraction for the horror that awaited me.
One of the days, I asked Ben for an extra training session, and the surprised look Kieran sent me was entirely unwarranted. “You said it yourself. I don’t want to be a target. Asshole,” I said the last bit under my breath.
Ben laughed. “Let’s go to the gym.”
I gave Kieran a vulgar gesture as we left. Like always, he continued to ignore me. And I continued to pretend his distance didn’t hurt.
When it was finally time for the mission and we were certain of the nest’s location, we all got ready to leave. My heart was in my throat as I changed into my battle leathers and braided my hair. I stared into the mirror. As much as I looked like a legendary dragonsguard, I didn’t feel like one.
“How are you doing?” I turned to see Nimue striding toward me.
“I feel like I might throw up.”
Nimue squeezed my shoulder. “It’s a rite of passage. Honestly, I still feel like I could puke.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better.”
She shrugged. “The fear keeps us alert. As soon as you’re comfortable, you’re dead.”
Now that was a sentiment I was familiar with. Itreated every heist with the respect and caution it deserved, because if I didn’t, there was a good chance my cockiness would cause me to leave Clara behind.I got too comfortable and look at me now.I expelled a breath. “I know I should be happy to have a mission, and I am, but I wish it was anything but this.”
“Look at me.” Nimue’s serious tone had me instantly obeying. She put her hands on my shoulder. “Out there, we all have each other’s backs. Even Aurelia. We don’t mess around out in the field. And Kieran is an amazing captain. He’ll take care of you.”
I swallowed. “Okay.”
My nausea didn’t let up as we flew toward the nest and the village right beside it. When I saw the village, my stomach flipped. We’d warned the people beforehand to evacuate, but so many of them ignored the warning. It was an utter massacre down below. A handful of gryphons swept through the town and targeted the screaming villagers. It didn’t matter how fast the people ran, they couldn’t outrun the beasts.
Blood coated the streets. When the gryphons weren’t attacking the people, they were actively destroying the buildings. For seemingly mindless creatures, they had a cruel intelligence about them. They wanted the people to suffer in any way they could.
Kieran immediately took control as he landed in the center of the town. “Stop!” he ordered one of the men running through the square. The man was clearly well off and was stupid enough to try running away with his fortune. I knew instantly he was an aristocrat. Tohim, it was better to be dead than to lose his wealth. “We’ll help you evacuate and defend the town, but you must help those around you.”
The man panted. He would’ve run off, but Kieran’s shadows pinned him in place. “I—I can’t!”
Kieran glowered. “You can and you will. You see that man over there. Help him go to Dragonsguard Gareth and Dragonsguard Aurelia. They’ll ensure a safe evacuation.” Kieran pointed to the homeless man with a bleeding leg. He was slumped against a broken streetlamp, too injured to move by himself.
The man let out a noise of disgust. “He’ll rob me.”
