City of Wind (Steel and Fire Book 4)
Page 36
“I . . . really?”
“He’d better be right.”
“King Siv isn’t the only who believes you are the key, Lady Dara.” The King of Pendark leaned forward. “Lady Vine assures me you can be trusted. She says you will do what needs to be done, but you will not let the power corrupt you.”
Dara looked between Vine and the king. Then she turned to Siv. He was busy sampling delicacies and feeding bits of food to Rumy. When he noticed her looking at him, he grinned reassuringly. Warmth spread through her stomach at the confidence in his smile. She wasn’t at all sure she could defeat her father or keep the power from getting to her. She was afraid she’d let her friends down. She was afraid she wouldn’t be strong enough. But she had to try. The fate of the continent depended on it.
She turned to Latch. “Will you teach me your secret?”
He met her gaze, brown eyes solemn. He seemed to be sizing her up, like a duelist studying a potential training partner. Then he nodded.
“It’s a magnificent trick.” Vine gave her a sunny smile. “Your swallowing incident should have been the first hint of how it works.”
“Even if I drink a gallon, it won’t last through the whole journey,” Dara said.
“You won’t be the one drinking it.” Latch laid a hand on Rumy’s head. The overgrown creature was still chomping away at Siv’s dinner. “Soolen Watermight Fighters Work with the power, Dara, but true dragons carry it.”
Dara blinked. Had Latch been hit over the head during the fight that morning? But Siv laughed.
“I knew it! Sorcerers always have dragons in the stories.” He poured himself a glass of wine, still chuckling. “They’re magical beings. Of course they can carry magical substances.”
“Hold on,” Dara said. “Where did the Soolen army get true dragons? Aren’t they fast asleep in the Burnt Mountains?”
“A rare species lives deep in Cindral Forest,” Latch said. “It borders my family’s land. That’s why my father’s army spent so much time there before invading Trure.”
“They were rounding up dragons?”
“There are only a handful,” Latch said, “and they have to return to the vents in Soole to retrieve more Watermight every once in a while. My father must be running out if the Fireworkers are winning the war.”
“So in addition to my power, we need a true dragon to help us carry enough Watermight to push the Fireworkers back to Vertigon?” Dara shook her head ruefully. “I’m not sure how that knowledge helps us.”
“We have Rumy,” Siv said.
“He won’t be big enough,” Latch said. “We need a real true dragon.”
“No need to look so grim, my friends,” Vine said. She looked around the table with a beatific smile. “Ever since the Air channels have opened, I’ve had the most interesting conversations. I happen to know someone who has a true dragon of her very own.”
Epilogue
SORA stood at her bedroom window, looking out over the mountain. It was unusually clear today. She could see all the way to Trure if Village Peak weren’t blocking her view. Smoke rose in the distance, far beyond the crown of the peak, as it had for days. Her people had wreaked havoc on the armies of Soole in their bid to take their prize away from them. The surviving Trurens had endured worse.
But the Lantern Maker had made a critical miscalculation. She looked down at the note in her hand, delivered by cur-dragon that very morning.
Soole has magic too.
Those four words spelled doom. The Lantern Maker had begun his assault assuming the Lands Below would stand no chance against him. He had brought her people into danger, and she had let him do it. She had exhorted them, urging them to fight in her name. Now, they were locked in a deadly contest from which they might never return.
Sora felt sick. She had appeased the Lantern Maker to protect her people, and now her soldiers were caught in the midst of a magical contest the likes of which the continent had never seen. She had tasted power, danced to its seduction. And now everything had gone to ruin.
She marched across her room and threw open her bedroom door. Kel and Oat stood guard. She had barely been able to look at Kel since refusing his offer to carry her away. Well, she may not be wise all the time, but she was willing to admit when she had made a mistake.
“I’ve changed my mind,” she announced. “Bring me Berg Doban. It’s time to fight back.”
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Thank you for reading City of Wind, the fourth book in the Steel and Fire series. Dara and Siv’s adventures conclude in Book 5. Sign up for Jordan Rivet’s mailing list to get an email about a special discount when the final book launches!
For a dystopian adventure featuring a gutsy female mechanic on a post-apocalyptic cruise ship, check out Jordan Rivet’s Seabound Chronicles.
If you enjoyed City of Wind, please consider leaving a review on Amazon and telling your friends. Thank you!
Acknowledgments
This book and this series wouldn’t exist without the help and encouragement of a lot of people. First and foremost are the readers who continue to express enthusiasm for Dara’s story and share it with their friends. Thank you for reminding me why I do this on a regular basis.
Special thanks go to Marina Finlayson, Laura Besley, and Ayden and Julie Young for your help on this book in particular (and for cheering for the dragons). The writers of Hong Kong—those currently living here, those who’ve moved on, and Willow, who came back—are a wonderful source of advice, encouragement, company, and inspiration. I’m also thankful for Author’s Corner, which runs on pure inspiration and all the jokes. I couldn’t do this without you people.
I’m grateful to Susie and Lynn at Red Adept Editing and Kitten and Kim at Deranged Doctor Design. Thank you for polishing this book and helping it shine.
My agent, Sarah Hershman, and Tantor Media have done wonderful work on the Steel and Fire audiobooks. Narrator Caitlin Kelly brings the story to life in the most spectacular way. Thanks for taking me on.
My husband and my family continue to be my biggest cheerleaders. Thank you for talking me through moderate amounts of writerly angst this time around.
Thanks again, readers, for all the rest. I’m diving into the fifth and final book in the series right now. Wish me luck!
Jordan Rivet
Hong Kong, 2016
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jordan Rivet is an American author of fantasy and science fiction. Originally from Arizona, she lives in Hong Kong with her husband. She is the author of the post-apocalyptic Seabound Chronicles and the Steel and Fire fantasy adventure series. She fenced for many years, and she hasn’t decided whether the pen is mightier than the sword.
The Seabound Chronicles
Seabound
Seaswept
Seafled
Burnt Sea: A Seabound Prequel
Steel and Fire
Duel of Fire
King of Mist
Dance of Steel
City of Wind
more to come…
Don’t forget to join Jordan’s mailing list for special discounts and updates on new releases!
Find her online at www.JordanRivet.com and on Twitter @Jordan_Rivet.
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