Page 39 of Kingdom of Ashes & Bone
The voice was familiar, but even so I prayed it wasn’t him.
“I would think after earning a coveted place in my household, you wouldn’t be foolish enough to think you are anything other than what you’ve always been:mud.”
I prayed my stupid, sycophant brother Ess would have enough survival instinct and sense of self-preservation that he would stay hidden in the crowd. The queen wouldn’t know it was him for sure unless he revealed himself.
So, of course, he did.
My heart soared and clenched as he calmly stepped out of formation toward her, hands gripping his spear nervously but his gaze straight.
“No. These areourpeople. Have you forgotten who makes up your Fireguards? The sons you stole from their mother’s arms are the same you educated and trained, which we are happy to do in trade. You educated us. You fed and clothed us.”
Heads turned and spear tips drifted downwards. Pride surged in my chest as my father stood in front of the queen, his fist shaking at her face and his jaw set. Pure stubbornness and defiance tensed every muscle in his body.
My stubbornness. My defiance.
Emotion drowned me.
“These people are our mothers and daughters,” Ell continued, his voice strong. “Our sisters and few brothers, and unprotected women we hurt whether intentionally or accidentally.” He paused, his face twisting with sorrow.
Mother.
Ell turned and looked straight at me. I stopped breathing.
“It’s time someone stood up for them.” He slammed the butt of his spear into the ground, lifting his chin. “Again, I say, NO.”
The queen laughed; one broken, desperate guffaw that echoed unnaturally loud in the tense silence. “Had that all planned out, did you?” She stepped toward him, grabbing his spear. In one motion she broke it over her knee, scowling. “Did it take you years to come up with such big words? Such big sentiments?”
She pointed at two Fireguards to her left. “Kill him.”
The Fireguards jerked, glancing at each other.
“N-no,” said the one on the left, shakily.
The queen’s eyes narrowed into slits.
“No,” said the other on the right.
The queen whipped around but one by one the Fireguards let their spears fall to the ground, a cascading sound of stone hitting charred, blackened earth like the most absurd rainstorm I’d ever heard.
Then came their shouts.
“No.”
“No!”
“NO!”
“NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!”
They were chanting now, all in unison, diving into the refugees and picking up the wounded and injured, walking back toward the city. The women joined in and the children raised their fists, shouting with glee in the queen’s face as they rode on their shoulders of the same Fireguards who would’ve beaten them a week ago.
“NO! NO! NO! NO!”
The queen looked fit to burst, her pale face flushing bright red as she gathered her skirts in her fists and ripped the delicate fabric in her fury. An inhuman scream of rage erupted from her throat, and she shifted.
The Fireguards’ shouts turned to screams as the enormous silver dragon erupted into being and bellowed, wings unfurling and tail swiping out at anything in reach.
I raced toward Zion and Zariah as did a dozen Fireguards, who quickly and efficiently hacked through the ropes holding the brothers down. With matching roars and ignoring the welts and burn marks ravaging their hides, they shot toward the silver dragon.
