Page 82 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury
Kieran narrowed his eyes. “Fine.”
Most of the game was lost on me, but the two trash talked each other like it was nobody’s business. The game went on for a while, and it was close. Both of them only had a handful of pieces left, but Nimue won in the end. Then Ben demanded his own match against Kieran, with the promise of being exempted from running laps if he won.
I couldn’t take my eyes off Kieran’s intense gaze, at the focus radiating off him. I watched as his lip curved into a grin and as he traded barbs with Ben.
“I thought he was a hardass,” I murmured to Nimue. I felt like if I so much as breathed wrong, Kieran would snap back to his distanced self.
An unreadable expression crossed her face. “He usually is.” Nimue locked eyes with me. “Usually, the only one he’s relaxed around is Gareth.”
Ben’s groan cut off our conversation, and when I looked back at the table, Kieran’s teasing eyes met mine. My heart stuttered when his lips curved into a smile. Did I do that or was I being arrogant in thinking so?
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
For the rest of the week, no gryphons came, even when we expanded our patrol. Nothing. It lifted a weight off my shoulders. In a week, I’d see Clara, and now, my options were back open again. I didn’t have to abandon her.
When we got back, Kieran and I reported to Luther. He listened to it all with a surprisingly impassive expression, giving nothing away. After a few seconds of tense silence, he said, “We’ll need to do more missions in the future to test her Gift. It’s disrespectful to the country not to.”
He looked pointedly at me as if it was my fault for not being a gryphon-slaying badass. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Instead, I said in a forced polite tone, “I successfully completed my mission. When can I see my sister?”
“You will fly out tomorrow. Ben will accompany you. For your temporary visit, she’ll be staying at a tavern ten hours from the capital. You may stay overnight, but you’re to leave before noon the next day. And you will not stay with your sister. I’ve instructed the tavernkeeper and several of my guards to report if you attempt to stay with her. If you do, youwon’t see your sister for a year.ThatI can guarantee.”
I wanted to scream, but the moment I stepped forward to give him a piece of my mind, a shadow brushed against my neck. I stilled. My head whipped toward Kieran, who arched a brow.Fucking prick.I knew he wanted me to keep my mouth shut. And I hated that he had a point. If I pushed back, Luther would be even more incentivized to keep my sister from me.
“Fine,” I bit out.
When we left, Kieran used his shadows to take me to his room. “You did good keeping your mouth shut. I didn’t think you had it in you.”
“Kick rocks, motherfucker.”
He huffed a laugh. “You may not like it, but that’s how you get what you want. Luther’s blinded by his ego. You need to play the game. Think of your long term goals.”
I exhaled. “And what’s yours? Because you still haven’t found Raven, and Luther hasn’t hatched the eggs.”
Some of his amusement fell. “Careful.”
“Are you talking as my captain or as my friend?”
“Both.” Kieran glanced at his door. “Raven’s dangerous. We know they’re trying to bring Lusadia down to its knees, and they know about some of our routes. It’s too unstable to move the eggs anywhere until we’ve drawn Raven out. In the meantime, we both have to be patient.”
Patience. It wasn’t my strong suit.
Ten hours later, Ben and I stood at the bottom of the stairs inside a shitty tavern. My heart pounded in my throat. Once again, just a couple of stairs stood between me and my sister. Gods, I hoped she was being treated okay.
“Wait,” Ben said before I could ascend. Just like last time, Clara’s room was at the very end of the hallway.Still a prisoner, but this time inside a gilded cage.
I frowned. “What’s your problem?” He’d been off the entire flight, never once cracking a joke.
“Promise you won’t do anything stupid?” He forced a grin. “I prefer to avoid punishment laps from Kieran.”
I swallowed. “I won’t. I promise.” I’d gotten lucky Clara hadn’t gotten hurt when I acted out. I wouldn’t take that risk again. Once I promised, the tension bled from Ben’s shoulders. With that settled, I flew up the steps and pounded on Clara’s door.
Wes answered it with a scowl etched on his face. I barreled past him, my eyes locking on Clara. She looked better since I last saw her. She had more meat on her bones and color in her cheeks. When she smiled, there was actual warmth to it, and her blue-green eyes sparkled.
The knot in my stomach loosened, and I pulled her into a tight hug.The letters weren’t lying.“How are you?” I whispered into her hair. I pulled back to cup her face. “If you’re not happy, I swear I’ll burn the kingdom to the ground.”
Ben cleared his throat. “Maybe don’t say that in front of the royal guard.”
I ignored him. “Be honest. None of this is worth it if you’re suffering.”
