House of Dragons (Royal Houses 1)

His black hair was swept back off his face. But it was the gray eyes, which caught and held her gaze, that made her shiver. There was something… wrong with him. Something terribly twisted inside.

His gaze swept over her and then dismissed her just as quickly. Then, he turned and stormed down the hallway. Without a backward glance or a question of his direction, he just left.

Scales.

Kerrigan jumped from her place against the wall, cursing her right leg for falling asleep underneath her. She shook it out, but that only made it worse. Pins and needles trailed down her leg. She winced with every step.

“Excuse me,” she croaked, finally getting her voice back.

He didn’t slow down or stop or even look back at her.

She gritted her teeth against her dead leg and pushed herself into a half-hobble, half-jog. “Excuse me, Prince Fordham.”

That got his attention. He pivoted with strict military precision and looked at her with those ever-changing eyes.

“Hi,” she said a little breathlessly. “I’m here to, uh… be your escort. I’m Kerrigan of the House of Dragons. I’m a Dragon Blessed here in the mountain. Mistress Hellina asked me to escort you to your next assignment.”

He just stared at her. “You?”

“Me,” she agreed.

“Why would they send you? Do they intend insult?”

Kerrigan bristled at his words. “No. I’m a Dragon Blessed.”

“You are half-Fae.”

Oh.

Kerrigan straightened and ground her teeth together. She was supposed to be an escort. She’d taken enough lessons on proper etiquette to know how she should respond to him. She clenched her fists once and released them.

“Indeed, I am. However, I’m still your escort. Right this way,” she said, gesturing the opposite direction he had been walking.

Fordham took two steps forward and looked down at her over the bridge of his nose. She gulped and tried not to be intimidated by him. “They pass me through to be tested and then send me you?”

Kerrigan’s eyes rounded. “They let you through? But you’re not one of the twelve tribes. Who sponsored you?”

Fordham shot her a deadly look. “The House of Shadows was once a recognized tribe of Alandria. I argued my case sufficiently that it should continue to be one. The right was granted along with sponsorship by the council… considering the debt they owe us.”

“Debt?”

His eyes flared with anger. She didn’t even know what she’d said. “So they no longer teach you our history. I’d expect nothing less from a half-breed.”

Kerrigan bristled as he had intended for her too. She knew that she was supposed to be on her best behavior, but he certainly wasn’t. “Excuse me? You know nothing about me,” she snapped. All of her fear and mesmerizing attention dissipated. “Now, are we going or what? Unless you know exactly where you’re going, princeling.”

“Do not call me that,” he seethed.

Oh, he took offense to princeling, but had no qualms with half-breed. Typical.

“As far as I can tell, you have no idea where you’re going. So, I would be happy to just leave you here and let you fend for yourself. Maybe wandering around for the next few hours would do you some good,” she growled.

His look didn’t change. She didn’t know if he even saw her anger. He looked so puffed up on his own importance.

“I don’t want your help,” he concluded.

She blew out in frustration. “Well, I don’t really want to help you either, but here we are…”

He turned away from her. Looked down the endless hallway with all the interest of someone who wanted to ignore a buzzing fly. “I truly am cursed.”

She snorted at his melodrama. “Sure, cursed,” she muttered. “Let’s just get this over with. This way.”

Kerrigan headed down the corridor and didn’t look back to see if he followed. If he decided to stay behind and get lost, well, that wasn’t on her.

Eventually, she heard his faint footsteps trailing behind her. He walked smoothly. If she hadn’t been listening for it, she might not have even heard him. That was disconcerting in a place made entirely of stone.

Kerrigan took the final turn and then approached a line of doors. Each one was representative of the twelve tribes. There, the potential competitors would be housed until they were called forward for testing. There were more rooms than the twelve, which suggested they used to have a separate purpose, but the twelve each had their emblem stamped into the wooden door. They passed each one soundlessly until they reached the thirteenth door. Unlucky, if you asked her.

There was no stamp on this door. Nothing to suggest it was also part of this ancient ritual. But a Society member waited across the hall before the testing door, and she nodded at Kerrigan when she approached. This was the one.

Kerrigan took a breath and opened the door. The room was suffused with light. A few chairs had been placed inside, and there was a table with parchment, ink, and refreshments. A place to while away the time until the potential was called in. She had never been inside this room before and was mildly disappointed to find it so plain.