House of Shadows (Royal Houses 2)

And then she saw, for just a split second, Lorian leering over the fight from the stands. A cruel smile twisted his face as he watched his champion destroy the girl that he didn’t believe belonged. That he’d planned to destroy all along. He was using this opportunity to get her kicked out.

She would never give him the satisfaction. That smile turned her gut to lead. Screw him. Screw him.

Kerrigan jerked backward out of the reach of Cannon’s weapon. Getting far enough out of range that it wouldn’t mean a gutting. If Lorian wasn’t playing fair by giving her the best sword master in a century, then why should she fight fair? No magic in the arena. Sure. Fine. But that didn’t mean that this wasn’t like every other fight she’d ever had. And she didn’t always need magic for those either.

“Fordham,” she shouted. “On me.”

He didn’t even hesitate. He ducked his attacker’s advance and then rushed to her aid. He took the brunt of Cannon’s attack, holding off both of them for a few seconds as she dive-rolled to retrieve her weapon.

Kerrigan came up again, swinging. Fordham remained at her side, and together, they worked as a team.

Cannon smirked. “Clever trick. More experienced fighters have lost for less.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not most.”

Then, she showed him the real reason for her dive roll. She threw a fistful of sand into his eyes. He cried out, retreating two whole steps as he blinked the dirt out of his eyes. He was too well trained to fully falter.

But it was enough of an opening. Kerrigan thrust her sword past his defenses, slamming the blunted blade against his ribs. She heard a pop, and he snarled. His eyes were red with tears, and he stepped forward, as if to destroy her for the audacity. But he’d miscalculated. She put the tip of her blade to his throat.

“The fight is over, Cannon,” a voice said from the sidelines.

Cannon stilled, his jaw clenching. He whirled around to face who had spoken. It was Master Bastian, and he was smiling. He nodded his head at Kerrigan. Lorian was fuming. The rest of the council members were a mixed bag. Alsia seemed to be considering whether or not what had been done was entirely fair. Kress had his arms crossed, as if he agreed with Lorian’s assessment. Lockney didn’t say anything. He scribbled in a book and nodded. He was the council secretary, so perhaps it was just his duty.

“She did not fight with honor!” Cannon snapped.

“She did not,” Lorian agreed. “It was a disgrace to witness.”

“But she still won,” Bastian said. “And with both teamwork and ingenuity.”

“Cheating is not ingenuity,” Lorian said.

“Some would say it is, Lorian,” Alsia said. She was a tall woman with brown skin and clear eyes. She had a calm demeanor.

Kress sniffed. “It isn’t what we look for in initiates. We’d know that if she had been in the tournament.”

“Precisely,” Lorian argued.

Kerrigan was breathing too hard to even comment. She braced her hands on her knees and took deep, heaving breaths. Her friends were still continuing their bouts, but hers was done.

“You must admit that she beat our best warrior,” Bastian said.

Helly came forward with Alura. “I didn’t even think we were using full sword masters for this event.”

Lockney’s head jerked up. He flipped through his notebook. “It was a recent rule change. I have the official timing for you.”

Helly arched an eyebrow. Lorian huffed.

Ah, so he had changed the rules to suit him.

“Cannon wasn’t on my list,” Alura said, fuming.

“Well, she won,” Bastian said. “I believe that calls for a pass.”

“I pass her,” Alura said.

They all looked to Lorian. He ground his teeth together but finally nodded his head once.

She’d passed.

22

The Season

“I’ll never be clean again,” Kerrigan complained, dunking under the water once more in the underground hot spring beneath the mountain. She had been down there with Audria and Noda for two solid hours. The boys had been cleaning up in their own baths.

“Never,” Noda agreed. She floated in the water happily.

For a second, Kerrigan’s heart panged as she thought about Lyam and how much he would have liked Noda. How much he wanted to be on the sea again. She could have taught him to sail again. But no, he’d been murdered, and there was nothing left.

“What are you thinking of?” Audria asked.

“Nothing.” Kerrigan shook off her melancholy. “I’m going to sleep all weekend.”

“Seconded,” Noda said.

“What? No!” Audria said. “We have plans.”

“I don’t have plans.”

“The Season starts tonight!”

Kerrigan groaned. “I don’t want to get dressed up and watch debs flaunt themselves before potential suitors.”

“Isn’t your friend a deb this year? The one from the House of Dragons?”

Kerrigan sank lower in the water. Darby was a deb this year. It was half the reason she didn’t want to go. It was hard to imagine her best friend, who had always loved women, parade herself before a bunch of unworthy men.