by K. A. Linde
“That was great work,” said Mistress Corinna, chief of the Guard. She inclined her head, and the dying rays of sunlight caught against her red-clay brown skin. “When you go through Society training, come find me. I think you have a real future in law enforcement.”
Kerrigan blinked in surprise. When she went through Society training. She’d said it as if it were a certainty. Which Kerrigan did not think it was. Not if Lorian had anything to say about it.
“Thank you, Mistress Corinna,” Kerrigan said with a small bow.
“We’re going to take the Red Mask here to the dungeons under the mountain, where he can’t do anyone harm ever again.” Corinna easily towered over Kerrigan, but when she held her hand out to shake, she did it as equals. “You and I are going to have a talk with the council about what happened here tonight.”
53
The Ruling
Kerrigan’s hair had slipped free of its ribbon. Her pale skin was covered in ash. Her eyes and lungs ached from inhaling the smoke that every inch of her smelled like. Her knees protested her harsh landing. Still, she held her head high as Tieran dropped her off into the arena, and she walked toward the waiting group of council members.
She counted seventeen out of the twenty in total. But even better, behind them stood her friends. Darby waved excitedly. Hadrian bit his lip, clearly anxious about what was to come. Clover was smoking a loch cigarette, brazen as ever. Valia stood next to Bastian. Her eyes wide with concern. Kerrigan felt a twinge of regret. She nodded her head at Valia in apology, who nodded back in acceptance, and then Kerrigan focused her attention back to the council.
Fordham, Audria, and Mistress Corinna dropped off their dragons and fell into step beside her. Almost a team—at least united in their cause.
Kerrigan was nervous, but she couldn’t show it. She came to a stop before Lorian and Helly and Bastian and the fourteen other members who sat on the high council.
“Before you begin,” Mistress Corinna said, “I would like to speak freely, if that is all right.”
“Go ahead, Corinna,” Helly said.
“Most of the Society members responded to the call for aid by flying to put out the fires rampaging the streets. My guards were in the streets, rescuing others from the burning buildings and trying to put down the riot, which had been engineered by a group of Red Masks. Unfortunately, most of them escaped. But Kerrigan entered the riot ring and went up against their leader, unprompted. She could have been injured or even killed, but she showed determination and fearlessness in the face of adversity. She stopped the leader, recovered the illegal magical artifact he had been using to generate lightning-bolt levels of destruction, and apprehended him. We are taking him to the dungeons, currently as a war criminal, and it is thanks to Kerrigan that we are able to do this,” Corinna said, point-blank. “She proved herself today, and I would be proud to call her a Society member.”
The council members began to whisper back and forth to each other, and Lorian coughed.
“Great. She knows how to disobey orders and enter a war zone that could have gotten many others killed. Just what we need.”
“We need free thinkers,” Corinna interjected. “People who will jump into action and not stay behind and let others fight their battles.”
Lorian reared back at the words, but they weren’t wrong. Lorian had a lot of bark but not much bite.
“Kerrigan, do you have anything to add?” Helly asked. “About the incident or your admittance into the competition.”
“I think everyone here knows that I belong in the Society at this point,” Kerrigan said boldly. “I went through testing with Gelryn. He passed me through. I was accepted into the room. I have a dragon. And now, I’m defending the city like any Society member should. But not just that, I was doing it long before any of you knew about it. My friend Lyam was killed in the Dregs, and everyone was content to say that it was just an accident—wrong place, wrong time, a senseless robbery. That the Dregs are bad, and it was no surprise, just tragic. But why should it have to be? The Dregs don’t have to be like that. We can fix them, make people’s lives better. Worse than that, Lyam wasn’t just killed; he was murdered by Basem Nix.”
A gasp went through the crowd. Helly nodded. Lorian pursed his lips.
“I discovered that he had been plotting to kill me as well. I rescued a hostage from his clutches, and the Society was supposed to bring him in on murder charges. Instead, he escaped and just tried to burn down the Artisan Village as the leader of the Red Masks! Now, he’s in Guard custody, thanks to me, and we can finally question him and put an end to this systemic problem.” Kerrigan held her hands out before her. “I don’t see why it’s even a question as to whether or not I should join unless some of you are just prejudiced against half-Fae.” She let the words linger. “And that’s not good enough.”
Her friends burst into applause, and more applause rang out in the arena. She hadn’t realized how easily her voice carried. That so many had been listening to her. But she saw more people nodding along in agreement than looking like they had just sucked on a lemon, like Lorian.
Corinna put her hand on her shoulder. “Bravo.”
Fordham stepped up to her side and then Audria, surprisingly followed by Roake and Noda. They might have argued against her in the cave, but they were one now. She could feel Tieran’s presence heavy behind her. And she no longer felt alone.
“We still need to convene a council meeting to discuss this,” Lorian grumbled.
“I believe we have a majority present,” Helly said with a coy smile.
“That is not decorum.”
“Neither are the circumstances,” Bastian said, striding to Helly’s side. “I call for a vote on the matter of Kerrigan’s entrance into the Society.”
“All in favor?” Helly said.
Kerrigan’s heart caught in her throat as she counted the hands raised in the air. Half. It was at least half. She kept counting—nine, ten, eleven, twelve. Oh gods! Almost everyone.
“Those opposed?” Helly called out.
Lorian shot his hand up, and four others slowly raised their hands as well. Kerrigan memorized their faces. The council members—Masters Roldan and Dowde and Mistresses Freya and Kopeli—who, for whatever reason, wanted to deny her her future. She wouldn’t forget a single one.
“The motion is passed,” Bastian commanded. “Kerrigan is our fifth champion.”
More applause rang out, and the council joined in with it.
“You all have two weeks off before Society training commences. Go home and visit your family. When you return, a year of training will begin.”
Kerrigan looked to the other four people who would be in her training class. They were all from such different worlds, but for the next year, Fordham, Audria, Roake, and Noda would be her constant companions.
“Take a moment, and then the parade will begin,” Bastian announced. “Five years ago, we didn’t have it, but this year, I believe we have cause to celebrate our victors.”
Helly stepped forward, pulling Kerrigan into a hug. “My dear girl, I’m so proud of you.”
“I thought you might be mad.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t choose Bryonica.”
Helly sighed. “I am disappointed. As I wanted you to be a part of my tribe, but that is solely selfishness. I know how you feel about it. I just hope that you made the right choice.”
So did she.
Helly released her as Darby, Hadrian, and Clover rushed to her side. Darby grabbed her around the middle, and Hadrian joined in on the hug. He even opened his arm up to leave room for Clover.
“Not interested, sweetheart,” Clover teased.
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Get in here, Clove.”
She arched an eyebrow. “So demanding.”
But she stepped in and joined the hug. All four of them teetering back and forth with excitement. When they finally released Kerrigan, they all beamed with pride.
“You
’re really a Society member,” Darby gushed.
“It’s what you always wanted,” Hadrian said.
She flushed. “It is. It just never felt attainable.”
“Look at you, going around and changing the world,” Clover joked.
“I meant what I said about the Dregs.”
Clover nodded, reaching instinctively for another smoke. “I know. It’s a step.”
“We’ll get there together.”
“Nice to have someone on the inside at least.”
Kerrigan laughed. “Not sure how much sway I’ll have, but it’s a life appointment. I’ll spend my life working on it.”
“All right. Competitors, line up,” Layla yelled, corralling them into position with their dragons.
Kerrigan took up the rear of the line with Tieran at her side. She placed her hand on his flank. “Thank you for your help in the fight. We make a good team.”
We’ll see about that. I’ve heard about this year of training, Kerrigan. I don’t know if we’ll be able to hack it without the bond.
“But no one will know about that,” she said, lowering her voice as they stepped through the arena entrance and out to the parade route.
Hundreds of people lined the street and threw yellow lilies—the flower of Kinkadia—in their path.
Someone might find out if we’re not coordinated.
“Then, we’ll practice.”
He looked unconvinced. I’m afraid the easy part is behind us.
Kerrigan gulped. “We’ll figure it out. I got in, didn’t I?”
Luck.
She snorted. “As pleasant as ever, Tieran.”
We’re going to get caught.
“No, we won’t.”
And when we do, what will we tell them? That we thought we could make do without the bond? The binding has been in place for dragon riders for ten thousand years.
She groaned. “What would you rather do? Tell them? We both agreed that wasn’t possible.”
No, we can’t tell them.
“Then, we’ll figure it out.”
I am not optimistic.
“What else is new?” Kerrigan asked, waving her hand at the crowd and beaming as she tried to ignore the fear at the pit of her stomach.
If they find out, they won’t just tear us apart, they’ll kick you out of the Society. You’ll be adrift, an outcast. And I… I’ll have to return to Holy Mountain. A shiver seemed to run through him. “I never want to go back there.”
Kerrigan glanced over at him, concerned. “What happened in Holy Mountain?”
Nothing, he snapped.
Kerrigan frowned. She didn’t believe him, but he seemed set on not telling her. She plastered the smile back on her face and continued down the parade route. Tried to revel in the joy of winning something she’d never believed she could compete for. Tried to imagine that all of this fanfare was really for her.
She tucked her hair behind her ears and displayed her heritage for all to see. She was a Society member now. She might have been hunted and reviled for being half-Fae, but for the first time, she felt truly proud of who she was. She wanted everyone to see.
To soak all of this up and hope that Tieran’s words weren’t prophecy.
54
The Spirit
Kerrigan slept like a baby for the first time in weeks.
She slumbered so late that it was early afternoon when a knock finally woke her from the restorative—and thankfully, dreamless—sleep. Kerrigan yawned and rubbed at her crusty eyes before heading to the door to peek outside. She’d been expecting Fordham. Yesterday, he’d put off any talk about what they would do the next two weeks and if, like everyone else, they would visit his—now, her—tribe. She figured now would be the time.
What she hadn’t expected to find was Tara.
“Hello, Kerrigan,” she said with a smile. “May I come in?”
“Of course.” Kerrigan pushed the door open wider, and Tara stepped inside. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“No, but I wanted to come and congratulate you personally.”
“Thank you,” Kerrigan said, shutting the door behind her. “And thank you for what you did.”
Tara waved her hand away at Kerrigan. “The room let you through. Whether or not I had someone hastily close the barrier afterward didn’t matter. It’s a House of Dragons’ secret. The council need not know.”
“Well, you didn’t have to do it, and I’m grateful.”
Tara smiled mischievously. “Well, I, for one, wanted to see a Dragon Blessed in the Society.”
“Will Mistress Moran be a problem?”
Tara shook her head. “She agreed that closing it after you was the right call. She even read the tournament rule book, and we found the language that would protect you.”
Kerrigan breathed out heavily. “That’s a relief.”
She clutched her chest. “And thank you for bringing justice to Lyam.”
“I had to.”
“I know I’m three years younger, but I’ve always looked up to you guys. I wanted to be you, and I wanted Lyam to see me,” Tara confessed. “I think he would have wanted to see you in the Society. You do justice to his memory.”
Kerrigan fingered the compass in her pocket. It had saved her and Fordham’s lives in the forest. “I think he’s watching over us.”
“Me too,” Tara said, sniffling. “You’re going to do wonderful things.”
“I have to get through training first.”
“You’ll do it. You never back down from a challenge. It’s what I really admire about you.”
Kerrigan smiled. Seeing herself reflected back at her through Tara. She had been just like this with Cyrene five years prior. It felt strange to have anyone look up to her, but maybe it had for Cyrene too.
“You’re going to do great things too, Tara.”
“Thanks.” Tara wiped her eyes and laughed uncomfortably. “I also came to tell you that Gelryn arrived back from the Holy Mountain. He said he had to eat, and then you should visit him.”
Kerrigan’s eyes rounded. “Scales! I should go!”
Tara laughed. “Yes. Maybe change first though.”
Kerrigan laughed at the fact that she was still in tournament clothes. She had passed out immediately as soon as her head hit the ground and hadn’t even had time to change or bathe. She needed to do both.
She thanked Tara one more time before she left, and then Kerrigan grabbed new clothes, went for a quick bath to scrub the tournament off her skin, and then went in search of Gelryn. She found him in the same eaves with the impossible climb as she’d had that night she came in search of him about her visions. Her legs burned by the time she made it up to the top, and she nearly collapsed at his feet.
Kerrigan Argon, now of the House of Shadows, a full Society member, welcome.
Kerrigan bowed dramatically. “A fancy title for the same person.”
Perhaps. Do you feel the same?
“I don’t know. I feel rested, and that’s different.”
Gelryn laughed a booming thing that filled the cave. You entertain me. Such a rare quality.
“I am so glad to see you return. I was worried that they weren’t going to let me into the Society without your testimony that I had been tested.”
This is your destiny, and no one can deny it to you.
“Well, Lorian sure thinks he can.”
Master Lorian cannot always see what is right in front of him. He has had a clouded past and a fraught history with your father.
“Do you… think he knows Kivrin is my father?” Kerrigan shivered at the thought. She had been trying to ignore the binding dream that she’d had of her father. It made no sense, and she worried that asking about it to anyone, especially Gelryn, would reveal that she hadn’t bonded with Tieran.
Assuredly. Your secret is no longer a secret.
Kerrigan froze. “What?”
How long did you sleep, child?
“All day,” she confessed.
Audria Ather in the House of Drame has proclaimed you the lost princess of Bryonica. You have made waves in their community. I believe that you will be celebrated among them for generations.
Kerrigan thought she was going to be sick. “She told everyone?”
It appears so. You will have to make peace with your past if you hope to continue into this future.
“What does that even mean, Gelryn?”
It means that I discovered answers for you in the Holy Mountain.
Kerrigan froze. “You did? You found out about my visions?”
I spoke with the ancients of my race, the dragons who came before even me, who preserve our history. They told me of others in the past who had access to mystical visions and great spiritual energy. They were called spiritcasters.
“Spiritcasters,” she whispered. It felt incredible to finally have a name for what she could do. “Are there any now? Can I meet them?”
No, the last spiritcaster was from nearly a thousand years ago during the Great War.
“What happened to them?” she whispered.
They never found a way to master their casting, and they slowly went insane.
Kerrigan shivered at the words. Gods! “That could happen to me?”
Yes, if you do not learn to control the castings, then they will control you. Already, I believe it is happening with the increased rate of the spiritual energy swirling through you. You must find a teacher to help you learn to spiritcast.
“How can I possibly do that if no other spiritcasters exist? If there hasn’t been one in a thousand years.”
We will discover that together, you and me, child.
Kerrigan swallowed and nodded. “All right.”
You will dedicate the next year of your life to Society training, but through that training, you must also dedicate yourself to your spiritcasting. You will never survive one without the other.
Kerrigan bowed again. “I will do so. Thank you, Gelryn. You have helped more than I could have possibly hoped for.”
Gelryn blew a puff of air in her face. Go now. There is someone waiting for you below.