Page 87 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury
It feels like home.
After that night, things changed between us. I trusted him, even if the year wasn’t up and Kieran hadn’t proved he’d uphold his end of the bargain. Maybe that was naïve, and usually I wasn’t ever one to trust so lightly, but I did. It was like mysoulknew Kieran wouldn’t betray me.
I couldn’t stop thinking about that almost kiss and how badly I had wanted to kiss him. But I couldn’t. Not when—if things fell apart—it had the potential to ruin everything. It was a relief that we were so busy. Between training, gryphon patrols, prepping for the festival, and my new lessons there was next to no free time.
Of course, Kieran ruined that by asking if I wanted to run supplies to Daeza with him. I should’ve said no. I sucked at impulse control, but I could never resist a trip away from the castle. So I jumped on the offer and ignored Aurelia’s furious gaze when she realized I’d miss more of her snob lessons.
There was no better feeling than flying in the air, especially away from the capital. I couldn’t wait until I had more freedom to fly whenever I wanted. Maybe one day Clara could ride with me on Umara, and we’d see the father trees together. Umara purred at the thought.
I cocked a brow when Hesperos flew so that we were right beside each other. “Umara, are you going to let that slide?”
Umara chuffed, and her pace increased, inching in front of Hesperos.
Kieran arched a brow. Hesperos’s wings beat harder, surpassing Umara.
I laughed as our dragons raced. It wasn’t as fast as they could normally fly since they both had packages strapped to their backs, but I didn’t care. My heart felt light. Someday, I’d fly for fun, and not for Luther’s bullshit or for Lusadia’s benefit.
Hesperos was only slightly smaller, so he had a slight edge on Umara when it came to speed. But Umara fought dirty. She nipped at his feet and at his sides. One time she even rammed into him, hard enough to send Hesperos into a spiral. I snickered and hoped it made Kieran dizzy. Unfortunately, the jerk wasn’t the least bit fazed.
We kept an eye out for any gryphons. It wasn’t an uncommon sight to see one anymore, especially with me out there. Thankfully, none arrived, so my mood stayed light. I was still smiling by the time we landed in Daeza—Umara just barely inching out Hesperos. “Loser,” I said with a grin.
“We’ll race back home.”
“Says the loser.”
His eyes danced with amusement. He used his shadows to transport the crates off our dragons’ backs and placed them on the grass below.
I yelped when a shadow tripped me. “Sore loser!”
Kieran laughed.
“Thank you so much, Lord Kieran!” a voice said.
I turned to see the villagers gathered at the entrance of the village, only a few yards away from us. They all had broad grins and eagerly rummaged through the crates. They went through them with an ease that spoke of how long this routine had been going on. The clothing of the villagers looked about the same—all signifying lower middle class, but they were all healthy. No one looked as if they’d been skipping meals. That was more than the capital could claim.
The village itself was beautiful. Huge, grassy mountains surrounded the place with breathtaking views of its steep cliffs. The homes were nestled close with dirt roads connecting them and agricultural fields on the outskirts of the village. The place had a rustic sort of charm to it.
“We won’t be going to the festival, but we’re honored to have a new dragonsguard,” the leader said. I shifted. No matter how long I’d been a part of the dragonsguard, I never got used to the blatant awe people displayed.
“We never thought we’d see a commoner on the back of a dragon!” A young boy around ten walked up to me and grabbed my hands. He had dirt on his cheek, and his eyes shone bright. “Do you think you can convince the king to let one of us claim a dragon?”
I laughed, but there was a tightness in my throat. “Maybe someday. But there aren’t enough dragons for that.” And even once we hatched those three dragons, like hell would Luther let another commoner go anywhere near an unbonded dragon.
The leader flushed and pulled the boy back tucking him against his side. “Apologies.”
“It’s okay.” This time my smile was more genuine. “Kids are kids. My sister is just like him.” Naively optimistic.
The man nodded. “He’s not wrong though. I would love to see another dragon claim a commoner. It’s a shame their numbers have dwindled.” And from the look in his eyes, he knew it was next to impossible for a commoner to have a shot. It was only the childrenthat looked hopeful.
It was a relief to fly away after that. Though I was surprised when Kieran had us stop at a meadow. I’d never get over the beauty in Caddel Province. The book I’d gotten was right—Caddel Province was mostly forests and mountains, but unique at each location. It was like his lands were competing for which could be the most breathtaking.
The weeping trees surrounded the meadow, their long leaves cascading down their branches in a perfect hideout spot. I resisted the urge to climb one. Instead, I took in a deep breath and breathed in the smell of nature.
“There’s no rush to return home so fast.” Kieran laid down on the grass, and Hesperos curled behind him. I smiled at the sight and walked over, sitting crisscross next to Kieran. Umara chuffed and sprawled next to me, laying her head in my lap.
“You were right.” The words tumbled out.
He grinned. “I’m right about a lot of things. What in particular am I right about this time?”
