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  But her father just made her want to scream. She didn’t want understanding. None of them could really understand. She just needed to get away. Get away from everything in her life that had made this complicated.

  “I have to go check on Fordham. He’s my responsibility for the next six days,” she told them, taking a step back. “I have cleanup later, and then I’ll be around. We can do dinner.”

  Hadrian nodded sympathetically. Darby just looked sad. Lyam… well, she couldn’t even really look at Lyam. She’d disappeared in part because she wasn’t ready to hear what he had to say. And she’d avoid it as long as she could… just like her father.

  Kerrigan hastened out of the House of Dragons’ quarters and down toward the base of the mountain, where the tournament competitors were being kept. She’d missed their introductions yesterday, so she didn’t even know who else was competing alongside Fordham. She’d likely know at least one of them. Offspring of Society members frequently entered the tournament. She’d known Alura of Venatrix and Walston of Bryonica five years ago.

  Kerrigan wandered the halls until she came to the line of tournament rooms. Helly had sent a message that morning with instructions to Fordham’s bed chamber. Servants were assigned to the tournament and all competitors had access to them, but fear was powerful, and none wanted to go near him. So she was to continue her duties to help Fordham through this first week while he was training.

  Kerrigan glided down the row of rooms. Some were open with competitors lying on their beds or reading or studying. She could hear the clink of swords from the practice space beyond. Fordham’s room was the last one on the left. His door was closed. She wondered if that meant he was in or out.

  She sighed and knocked. Nothing happened. She waited before knocking a second time.

  “Fordham,” she called. “It’s Kerrigan. I’m assigned to help you.”

  The door next to Fordham’s opened then, and a woman peeked her head out. Kerrigan froze in place. Her skin heated, and she was sure her cheeks turned pink. She had wondered if she would know someone. She hadn’t suspected it would be Audria Ather, Third of the House of Drame.

  Kerrigan hoped to the gods that Audria didn’t remember her from when they had played as kids in Bryonican castles.

  “Hello,” Audria said with an easy smile on her pink-painted lips.

  “Hi,” she squeaked.

  “I believe Fordham left for training this morning.”

  “Th-thank you.”

  Audria tilted her head, her blonde hair swishing around her shoulders. Her bright blue eyes narrowed. “You look familiar. Have we met?”

  Kerrigan shook her head and remembered to curtsy. “No. I’m a Dragon Blessed. I was assigned to Fordham by Mistress Hellina.”

  “Oh, I adore Helly. I wish she were administering the tournament this year.”

  Kerrigan swallowed. “I… should be going.”

  “Of course. Of course. I saw a few other people scurrying around. Everyone thinks he’s so terrifying, but he just looks like a man to me.” Audria shrugged. A smile alighting her features. “Good luck!”

  She nodded and then hastened away from Audria Ather. Another ghost of her past come out to play.

  Kerrigan found Fordham exactly where Audria had suggested he would be. He was in the training room, holding a hefty sword in his left hand. He still wore finery, even in training. His black cloak had been discarded on a bench, but his sleek clothing clung to him, exposing powerful thighs and thick biceps.

  She swallowed and tried not to think about how attractive he was.

  Fordham was stepping easily through his paces. Like he had been sword fighting his entire life. He moved with grace and elegance. A prince he certainly was.

  She waited until he finished his last round of movements before striding across the practice room. “Good morning, Fordham.”

  He whirled his practice sword toward her, placing it under her chin. She stilled but showed no fear. He didn’t move. She watched something recede from his gray eyes.

  “What do you want?”

  “A good morning would suffice.”

  He tipped her chin up, and she felt the steel just barely pierce her skin. “What do you want?”

  “As I mentioned, I’ve been assigned to you. Since everyone else thinks you’re some terrifying monster, I was the person put in charge of your well-being. Lucky me,” she spat.

  “You don’t think I’m a terrifying monster?”

  “I think you’re an arrogant, overconfident princeling who could deign to learn some manners.” She swatted the blade aside. “We don’t point these things at other people.”

  “Don’t call me a princeling.” He sheathed the sword.

  “Fine. An arrogant, overconfident jerk.”

  His eyes narrowed. “You have a mouth on you.”

  “I’ve been told that a few times, yes.”

  “I don’t need anyone to be in charge of my well-being. Definitely not you,” he sneered.

  Kerrigan gritted her teeth. “Well, too bad. That’s what I’m here for.”

  Fordham shrugged as if unimpressed and then began to walk through another set of forms. She didn’t recognize these. They were different from the sword training she’d received. She preferred hand-to-hand combat and magical training. Both served her better in the Dragon Ring anyway.

  Kerrigan stepped off to the side and watched. If he needed something, well, she was here. That was her duty.

  It was another hour before he stalked out of the ring, grabbing a jug of water on the way out. He said not one word to her, but she followed him all the same. He walked straight into his room, and before she could even think to ask him a question, he slammed the door in her face. Gods, he was stubborn.

  Kerrigan swore under her breath. He wasn’t going to change his mind today. She’d go and do her cleanup with the dragons. Maybe tomorrow he’d want her help.

  He didn’t want her help.

  Not the next day or the one after that. Or any of the days up to the ceremony.

  She was so frustrated with his behavior that on the last day, she decided not to go see him at all. Helly was forcing them together to see if something from her vision came of it. But she didn’t particularly enjoy being treated like an idiot or received taunts about being a stupid half-Fae. He was doing just fine on his own as far as she was concerned.

  So what if the servants avoided him? Maybe he’d earned it for being such an ass.

  Mistress Moran had given her the last day off her punishment. No more cleaning out muck for her. Not when most of the Dragon Blessed were spending the day getting pampered for the ceremony tonight.

  Kerrigan’s stomach twisted. Tonight was the night. The night she’d join a tribe, and her real life would begin. No more helping to raise the dragons or prodding tutors or etiquette lessons. No more flying.

  Her heart constricted at that thought. It was the worst of them all when she thought of leaving the relative safety of Draco Mountain for the relative safety of a tribe. No flying.

  Truthfully, she wasn’t supposed to have flown as much as she had. But it was exhilarating… and if it was off-limits, which made it all the more exciting.

  So, while Darby spent the morning soaking in the underground baths, Kerrigan headed up, up, up to the dragon aerie. The wind whipped through the open mouth of the cave entrance. She’d braided her hair back, but it still snagged on her curls, twirling it around her face. She tried to tuck it behind her short pointed ears. Not that it did much good.

  Deciding to ignore it, she stepped inside. Her heart pitter-pattered as she stared at all the gorgeous dragons who were in the aerie that morning. She recognized the five tournament dragons. They stood before Mistress Helly’s dragon, Tavry, and seemed to be receiving their own instruction.

  Dragons spoke mind to mind, so Kerrigan didn’t know what he was saying, but all five dragons were rapt with attention. Even Netta, who was always the most prone to trouble.

  Kerrigan
skated around the training and walked through the maze of dragons.

  A few whispered, Hello, in her mind as she passed them.

  Another dragon she knew offered her a ride. She grinned and kept walking. It felt nice to be up here. She was more at peace here. More like how she felt in the Wastes. The dragons didn’t care that she was only half-Fae. Everything not dragon was the same to them.

  She came back around to the front and saw that the five tournament dragons were now gone. Tavry stood regally at the entrance, his keen gaze staring out across the valley below.

  Dragon Blessed Kerrigan of the House of Dragons, it is always a pleasure to have you in the aerie.

  Kerrigan bowed her head to Tavry. “Thank you, Tavry. What are you doing with the tournament dragons?”

  He inclined his head. More training before our own celebration. Do not concern yourself with it. Why are you among us? Is today not the Dragon Blessed ceremony?

  “It is,” she conceded. “And I know that I should be preparing myself for it. As you are clearly preparing your kind. But I wanted one last look over the aerie before I have to leave this place.”

  Tavry softened at her words. You will be greatly missed among the dragons, Kerrigan. You have a true heart. If a mischievous one.

  She laughed. “That seems fair. And thank you, Tavry. I will never forget the time we flew together into a new world. It will be my most cherished memory.”

  Would you care to fly through our world?

  She brightened. “I thought you were training?”

  I can spare some time for someone who loves flying as much as I do. A rare gift indeed.

  Kerrigan straightened and nodded. “I would love that.”

  Tavry waited as Kerrigan climbed up his haunches and onto his back. Tavry was a medium-sized dragon, made for swift flying with long, lean limbs. His scales were plum-purple, and as she shifted near the light, they gleamed almost metallic. Kerrigan seated herself between Tavry’s wings and held on tight. For battle, dragons were fitted with saddles for the comfort and ease of their riders. But on leisure flights, most riders knew how to ride without them.

  Tavry didn’t wait to ask if Kerrigan was ready. One minute, he was standing on the edge of the opening to the aerie, and the next… he dropped like a stone in the sea.

  Kerrigan screamed as they plummeted toward the earth and the great city below. Down, down, down they went. So fast and so far that Kerrigan’s eyes watered, tears streaming out behind her.

  Then, Tavry’s wings shot out, and they hovered low over the city. Kerrigan could see the shop workers going about their day. None even seemed concerned that a dragon was flying so close to them. They were used to the movements, especially this close to the mountain.

  Tavry climbed back up almost to the clouds, and they soared across the valley. It was much colder than on the ground, but Kerrigan didn’t even care. She lay back across Tavry’s back and soaked up the sun and the clouds and this incredible life that she had been allowed to live. She hated her father, but if he hadn’t given her up, would she have ever had this?

  “It’s amazing,” Kerrigan said to Tavry over the wind.

  Truly. You have the heart of a dragon.

  It was quite a compliment.

  “Thank you,” she choked out.

  Tavry circled the valley three times before heading back to the aerie. Kerrigan could have stayed out there all day. Forgotten the entire world below and lived among the clouds. But her responsibilities awaited her. As much as she wanted to shirk them, she couldn’t.

  The House of Dragons had given her a new life.

  She couldn’t turn away from that even if she wanted to.

  “Thank you,” Kerrigan said when Tavry finally landed back in the aerie. “I’ll always remember this last flight too.”

  You are always welcome with me, Kerrigan Argon.

  Kerrigan shuddered at the sound of her full name in her mind. Of course the dragons knew.

  Still, she dipped into a low curtsy and then retreated from the rooms. A tear trickled down her eye as she left the aerie and flying behind.

  10

  The Ceremony

  “I know. I know,” Kerrigan gasped.

  Hadrian and Darby were looking at her as if she’d just sprouted wings. She waved her hand at them as she hustled into the back of the line.

  She was obviously the last of the twenty-three Dragon Blessed who were attending the ceremony today. Mistress Moran shot her a disparaging look before turning back to face the front of the line.

  Kerrigan took that opportunity to rest her hands on her knees and take a deep breath.

  “Where have you been?” Darby asked, flustered. “You’re late. We’ve been waiting for you.”

  “I’m here now,” she got out.

  Truly, she was ready to collapse. Running in these new heeled shoes that Parris had selected for her was not for the faint of heart. But they sure showed off the elegant line of her leg through the slit in her blush silk gown.

  Mistress Moran marched forward, directing the lot of Dragon Blessed out of Draco Mountain and through the winding streets of Kinkadia.

  “Seriously, where were you?” Hadrian asked, sidling up to her.

  She shrugged. “Flying.”

  “Now… and not… I don’t know, humor me, Ker,” he said with an eye roll, “tomorrow?”

  Kerrigan ruffled his perfectly kept blue hair. He balked at the touch and tried to sweep it back into place. “It was now or never.”

  “Can I at least put a braid into your curls?” Darby asked with a resigned sigh.

  She nodded and let Darby work two quick braids into her hair, pulling it off her face and hiding her ears. It didn’t matter much to Kerrigan. The dress and shoes and rouge would hide everything well enough. She was used to her hair not being tamed.

  “Is it just me… or is it crowded?” Kerrigan asked as they reached the heart of the city.

  Irena Hall in the Central district housed the ceremony every year. Since it was a dragon tournament year, it was also coupled with a party for the competitors. It was typically a busy event. Representatives from all twelve tribes would show up. Wagers would be made on the competitors. The Dragon Blessed would enter society. But this was… beyond that.

  “It’s not just you,” Hadrian said.

  He pulled in close to her and Darby. She could sense him reaching for his magic.

  She frowned and did the same. It was better to be safe than sorry as far as she was concerned. Darby hardly had a spark, and it was all healing water magic. She wasn’t adept at fighting. She’d always shirked the lessons that Kerrigan found interesting. And vice versa.

  “What’s that ahead?” Kerrigan asked.

  Hadrian was the tallest. He rose to his toes to look over the crowd. His frown was measured. “It looks like… a demonstration.”

  “A protest?” Darby squeaked in fear.

  “Scales,” Kerrigan murmured.

  She and Hadrian maneuvered Darby between them. Hadrian would do in a fight. He’d grown up with it. Then, Lyam settled back into their unit, effectively closing Darby in. Lyam was more mischief than fighter, but she’d rather have another person looking out for Darby either way.

  “Do you know what’s going on?” Kerrigan asked Lyam.

  He’d been up with Moran originally.

  He gritted his teeth. “They’re protesting the tournament.”

  Kerrigan sighed. So, it was all beginning again. Just like it had last tournament.

  Society members held back the protestors as they passed through the thick of it toward the ballroom. They didn’t seem violent at least, but Kerrigna knew all too well how fast that could change.

  A chant rose up out of the crowd, “Tournament is tyranny.”

  Kerrigan shuddered. Then, just before she could step across the threshold and into the relative safety of the banquet hall, her eyes cast to the left. Her feet stumbled. She gasped as she waved unsteadily.

  She recognized
the people standing there.

  She didn’t know them. Not exactly. But she knew them. Down to her marrow.

  She had seen their faces in a vision. She had watched their anger and their cries. Another part of her vision… and here it was, a reality.

  A cold sweat broke out across her skin. She was frozen in place, staring at the faces of the crowd. Then, Hadrian latched on to her elbow and yanked her inside. The doors slammed closed behind them.

  “What were you doing?” Hadrian demanded.

  “I… I don’t know,” Kerrigan muttered.

  This was the biggest secret between them. She couldn’t tell him or anyone about the visions without endangering their lives. So, instead, she looked like an idiot.

  “It’s dangerous, Ker.”

  She nodded. “Sorry. I need to find Helly.”

  And she knew with urgency that she really needed to find Helly.

  “Mistress Hellina is assisting with preparations for the competitors,” Mistress Moran said, appearing at her side. “She will be here when the ceremony starts. Move along now.”

  Kerrigan opened her mouth to argue, but Darby took her hand and squeezed. Kerrigan swallowed what she had been about to say and followed. She didn’t know what the protesters had been doing in her vision. She didn’t know if it had something to do with Fordham or her testing… or if the Red Masks would show. She didn’t know anything. As much as she hated her visions, she wished they were more specific.

  She wanted to go find Helly and deal with this. But this was her night to celebrate. Maybe her last night ever with her friends all together like this. She would tell Helly later. After.

  Kerrigan felt more commodity than human.

  The Dragon Blessed stood single file atop a small stage overlooking the sea of influential persons. The ceremony was a high honor, but somehow, she still felt like she was on display, for purchase.

  Her green eyes drifted across the sea of people. Every one of them was a wealthy, full citizen. More than a few were Society members. Though they weren’t in their black robes. The room was alight with color for the party after the ceremony concluded. Men in fresh suits and brightly colored robes. Women in elaborate ballgowns with glittering gemstones at their throats and wrists and ears. It was a cacophony.