House of Dragons (Royal Houses 1)

The competitors were escorted out of the arena and deep into the mountain. From here on out, they were beyond the view of the crowd. Anything that happened in the third task was for those competing only. That was the only way they kept the third task mysterious enough.

“Well,” Valia said to her right, “now, we wait.”

Kerrigan bit her lip and prayed to whichever god would listen to watch over Fordham. She hoped that no visions meant that he was going to be safe, but she doubted it. No one was safe in the final task.

* * *

At dusk, the crowd grew restless. Kerrigan among them.

Most knew that the final task didn’t typically end that last day, but it made for a long wait to see who would show up. Luckily, the Society had other displays come into the arena—sword fighting, music, dancing, horse racing, and even some dragon flying demonstrations—while they waited on the big spectacle. But by nighttime, even Kerrigan was tired of waiting around.

A good portion of people had gone home. They would return the next morning and hope that they hadn’t missed out. Only a few diehards would remain all night in hopes of seeing one of the dragons flying home.

“I need sustenance,” Kerrigan told Valia, who was ever vigilant, staring at the horizon.

“Bring me back some hard cheese and goat’s milk, if they have it,” she requested.

Kerrigan yawned. “Sure thing.”

Nerves bit into her the entire walk back to the mountain. She didn’t like not knowing what was happening with Fordham, if he was doing all right. She was glad for the distraction of returning to the mountain. They had some food, water, and wine at the table, but it had been sitting out all day. She needed something fresh and couldn’t bring herself to ask a servant to do it for her.

She made it inside to the feasting table, which was mostly empty at this hour, and rounded up supplies for herself and Valia. She had a tray full of food and turned to exit the mountain once more when she felt a dizzy spell hit her.

Kerrigan gasped as her vision went blurry, and she felt unconsciousness beckon. “Oh gods.”

Hastily, she set the tray down on the ground and pressed her back into the cold stone of the mountain. Blissfully, the corridors were empty, but even if they weren’t, she wouldn’t have been able to fight off what was happening. A vision was coming whether she wanted it or not. Just before it pulled her through, she hoped that this was the answer to her prayers, and she would find out what was happening with Fordham. She needed good news.

Her vision went dark, and an image appeared of a small girl in boy’s clothing, walking the halls of the mountain. Kerrigan startled as she realized… it was her. Dream Kerrigan entered an unguarded room. The sentinels who should have been standing watch were distracted at the other end of the hall. Oh gods, she knew what was in that room. Dream Kerrigan looked up at the shimmery, iridescent doorway and knew what she must do. She drank from a goblet, closed her eyes, and then pressed her hand to the doorway.

Kerrigan gasped awake from the vision. She was drenched in a cold sweat. Her magic was drained, but not nearly as bad as normal. She kept waiting for unconsciousness to beckon and for her to slip under, but she felt steadier than she had with any of her other visions.

Everything was different about this vision. Her visions had never been that deliberate. This was breaking the theme of them. They always showed images of what was to come in the future. They never told her what to do. The whole thing made her uneasy. Did she follow what the vision had shown her? Or did she run and tell someone what she had seen?

She chewed on her lip a minute as she debated what to do. The longer she thought about going into that portal room, the more certain she was of its inherent rightness. She couldn’t turn her back on the dreams now. She had no idea where the portal would take her, but it had told her for a reason, and despite the recklessness… she knew it was her destiny to follow the instructions.

Kerrigan took the bread, cheese, and chunk of meat and stuffed them into the small pouch she kept at her side. After a quick jaunt back into the feast room, she found a water pouch and slung that over her head as well. She was weighed down, but she would rather have the provisions than not. She left the rest of the food behind. Valia would wonder where she had gone off to, but she couldn’t wait to run the food back to her.