Page 35 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury
He took a sip of his water, the move so effortless and elegant I hated him a little. “Says your captain. As for yourfailedexecution, it’s a job. It wasn't anything personal.”
“What a load of bullshit. It sure felt personal.” I folded my arms. “You might be worse than Aurelia. At least she owns up to her shittiness.”
His nostrils flared. I was sure he was about to rip me a new one, but before he could, a small pair of arms latched around my stomach. My first thought was that I was about to get stabbed, but the alarm bells wavered when I saw the arms belonged to a small child no older than seven. At least my coin purse was tucked into my breastband, so I didn’t have to worry about that getting stolen.
“Uh… can I help you?”
The child clung tighter, burying her head into my stomach.What. The. Fuck?She wasn’t trying to rob me, so what the fuck was she doing?
A sharp laugh broke through my musings. I lookedup to see Kieran grinning. “All along, children were your weakness?” He focused on the child, and his features softened. “Do you need help? Where is your guardian or parent?”
I was sure I was trapped in some sort of alternate reality. This man couldneverbe this soft, but the reality sat right across from me.
The child finally looked up, her big brown eyes widening, and she pointed to a trembling older man at the entrance of the bar. The man flushed, a pinched expression on his face as he took a hesitant step toward us.
“Um, what he said.” I patted the girl’s arm. “If you tell us what you need, we can do our best to help.”
“I saw the claiming ceremony!” The child grinned. “Do you think I can be a rider someday? My pa says we can’t because we’re only farmers, but I wanna be a rider too.”
My throat tightened. I was all too aware of Kieran's eyes on me. I wanted to say no, that the dragons only chose royals and that I was an exception. That I got lucky. But even the thought left a sour taste in my mouth. Royals weren’t the only ones deserving of dragons. I knew that in my bones. Past royals and nobles just liked to say otherwise. No one’s blood made them better.
Really, the only advantage nobles had was their proximity to the dragons. Peasants never got a chance like that—Lusadian royalty ensured that. “Maybe someday,” I croaked. “But I’m afraid there’s no extra dragons right now. You’ll have to be patient, okay?”
The sunny smile the child left me sat like a stone in my belly. As did her promise to cheer me on before she flounced off to her father. Kieran’s smugness radiated across the table. The man didn’t even have to say a word. People were looking at me. They wanted me to be a beacon of hope for them.I didn’t ask for this. Any of this.
“See what I mean?” Kieran murmured. “This is why I won’t allow you to die. This is what you being alive does for these commoners. Look at them, look at how hopeful they are.”
I made a noise of disgust. “I’m ready to go back. I’ll be waiting outside. You get the others.”
“You can’t run from this,” Kieran called, but I ignored him and stalked outside.
I took a deep breath and stared up at the night sky. The stars shone impossibly bright. If I flew up there with Umara would I be able to touch them? The thought made me smile. Most definitely not. I closed my eyes. The breeze was a blessing against my heated skin. I didn’t want it to end, didn’t want to go back to training or playing Kieran’s games.
“Help!” Came a cry off in the distance, in one of the alleyways a few streets down.
I jolted but didn’t move. Cries for help were frequent. Shoving your nose into other people’s business was just another way for you to get into trouble, trouble I couldn’t afford when I was looking after Clara.
“Someone help!”
If Clara could see me now, she’d be horrified. ButClara wasn’t here. Why should I stick my neck out?
But then the voice and the muffled struggling went silent. My stomach tightened. I took a step toward the alleyway.
“You’re a real bitch,” a new voice said behind me, sending chills down my spine. I turned around just in time to avoid the swipe of a knife. As I stumbled backward, I got further away from the tavern. Just like the man wanted.
My heart raced. I barely had a second to get a glimpse of the man. He was well fed, clearly, judging by the thickness of his shoulders and arms. Another swipe. Another step back. “I know when something’s not right.”
He chuckled. “Not dragonsguard material.” He swiped at me again. I hissed as the blade grazed my arm, sending my blood spattering to the ground.
“Asshole.”
Anotherswishof the knife. Another step back. My pulse skyrocketed. I looked up to see Kieran at the entrance of the tavern. “A little help here?”
I reached into my boots and unsheathed my blade. As much as I loathed Kieran, he could end this fight in seconds. So why the fuck wasn’t he doing anything? But I didn’t have time to waste thinking on that. I kicked, and my foot connected with the man’s ribs. He grunted and staggered. “Who the hell sent you?” He wasn’t a common thug. I didn’t recognize his face, for one. And for another, he wasn’t dressed like someone from the capital would. The fabrics he wore… they were too fancy. His tunic was a bit too long to match the style here.
Kieran didn’t move. “Show him who he’s messing with, Selena.”
“Youass!”
